Twisted Reality
by Flying Star
Summary: AU fic. Hey, I'm back with a new fic. When Yumi's scanner malfunctions, she's sent to an alternate world, where Lyoko is in ruin, and XANA terrorizes Earth. UPDATE! FINALLY. THE END.
1. Default Chapter

Twisted Reality

By Flying Star

Disclaimer: ' Holds net.' I can't quite seem to catch the rights. In other words, I don't own Code Lyoko.

1

A new story, a new concept. Time to do an AU fic. In this dark story a scanner malfunction sends Yumi into an alternate world, where Lyoko is in ruins and XANA terrorizes Earth. Author's notes at the bottom.

1

**Bold - You'll see.**

_Italics - Monotone, flat mechanical voice. Except when used for emphasis._

" " - speech.

' ' - thinking/thoughts.

1

Kadic High School, situated in France. A normal school, with normal students.

" Watch me. I bet I can catch the ball with my eyes closed." The blond with purple splotched haired boy smirks as he throws the football to his companion. With a shrug, the ball flew up and back, hitting him square in the nose.

Well, mostly normal. They are but two of a group whose actions help prevent local catastrophes, attacks caused by a very unnatural being. Saving an unsuspecting populace.

Ulrich laughs as the other frowns, dusting himself off before rubbing his nose. " I'll get it next time." Odd mutters under his breath, though the tone is playful.

Our story though, is for another of the group, a girl with a strong will and equal determination.

Yumi Ishiyama.

She doesn't know it, but today her path is about to take a slight diversion. Her sanity will be tested, and difficult choices will be made.

And so we begin our tale.

1

" So anyway, Mrs. Hertz tells me that I need to think of my grades more, apply myself..." Odd says, still massaging his nose as he walks with Ulrich. School is out for the day, and the two are heading to the usual meeting place, though it looks like someone already beat them there.

The energetic youth stops, smirking slightly. " Well, well, look at the two lovebirds. " he coos, noticing the couple already occupying the bench.

Ulrich follows his gaze, smiling as he recognizes Jeremie and Aelita. The latter giggling softly as Jeremie finished whispering in her ear.

" Ah, teen love. Couples cuddling together, so cute."

Ulrich's gaze returns to Odd's. " They are cute together." He agreed.

Odd suddenly grabs his chest, gesturing dramatically. " But alas, I am but a mere bachelor." His smile turns mischievious. " So, you gonna tell her?"

" Odd." Ulrich can feel himself blushing.

" Aw, come on. Do I have to be old and wrinkled before my friends state the obvious? Jeremie and Aelita, you and Yumi. I mean if Yumi was here right now I'd..."

" You'd what?"

Odd spun around, nearly colliding with the figure behind him. " Oh uh, hey Yumi. We were just talking about how punctual you are. Weren't we, Ulrich?" He jabbed an elbow into his friend's side. " Right?"

" Yeah, that's it." Ulrich discreetly rubbed his side, giving Odd a sour look.

Odd feigns being oblivious. " Well, the gang's all here. I say we go have some fun."

" I think we'll have to take a raincheck, Odd." Yumi replies, her eyes on the other two members of their group. Both now had unhappy expressions on their faces, looks that the rest of them know all too well.

Odd voices his displeasure. " Oh, come on. We _just _got done fighting XANA a few days ago, can't it give us a week off for once?"

Yumi approaches the silent couple. " XANA activity?"

" XANA activity." Jeremie confirms without looking up from his laptop, which is resting on his knees. Aelita is reading the information from his side. " Don't know where though, scans indicate an activated tower, but other than that, no significant news indicating an attack, yet."

" So, the factory?" Yumi asks.

" The factory." Jeremie confirms.

1

" Well, I found our mystery attack." Jeremie announces after studying the news files.

" So, what's XANA up to this time?" Odd asks.

Jeremie turns around. " The local zoo's reporting spontaneous animal frenzies. Tigers trying to climb their enclosures, emus chasing people, apes going nuts..."

" Or bananas." Odd jokes, earning himself a quick jab to his side from Yumi.

" And numerous other animal problems." Jeremie continues, ignoring Odd's comment. He turns back to the supercalculator, typing in a few commands. " The infected tower's located in the Forest region."

" Any monsters?" Yumi asks, keeping an eye on Odd.

" Yes, five Roachsters and two Crabs are patrolling the target."

" XANA's making it too easy." Odd smirks, punching his open palm with his fist. " We'll be there and back in no time flat."

" Don't you ever take anything seriously?" Yumi scolds, wheeling on Odd, who looks a bit surprised at her sudden accusation.

Odd raises his hands meekly in surrender. " It's only a joke, Yumi. I'm as serious as the next guy. But come on, this will be a cakewalk."

" Hmph, right."

" Glad you agree."

" I'm typing in the coordinates now." Jeremie interupts before frowning. "Hmm."

" What's wrong?" Ulrichs asks.

" Well, we've got four people, and only three scanners. You know what that means."

" Ulrich opens his mouth, but Yumi beat him to the punch.

" I'll wait. Just make sure I don't land directly on Odd when you send me over."

" Ha, ha. Very funny. I'll remember that." Odd grumbles before heading to the elevator, Ulrich and Aelita joining him.

As Yumi watches the lift descend, a sudden feeling of uneasiness grips her. She couldn't quite explain it, but for some reason she feels like something big is going to happen, and happen soon.

" Yumi, you're up."

Shaking her head, she pushes the thought to the back of her mind as she rode the elevator down.

1

" Readying the transfer." Jeremie's voice echos from the intercom as Yumi slips into the scanner.

She still can't quite shake the sinking feeling in her gut. Something felt very wrong.

" Ready, transfer Yumi."

Her body floats up, the scanner bars gliding around her.

" Scanner Yumi. No! Abort...abor..."

Suddenly she's falling, everything going hazy as her mind rapidly descends into darkness.

...and then nothing.

1

A jolt, her eyes opening. Her first thoughts decidedly less than coherent.

' Oh, the ground's getting pretty close.'

Her eyes snap open fully as she realizes she's falling, upside down. The grounds of Lyoko swiftly approaching her falling form. Scrabbling at the air, she manages to almost right herself before...

" Oof!"

A cloud of dust rises as Yumi straightens herself. " Ow. Not one of my smoother landings." She groans as she begins brushing herself off. " Next time, I'm asking Jeremie to include something soft to land on." Wait, Jeremie. She frowns. Had something happened back in the supercalculator?

Try as she might, nothing comes to her.

It's then that she gets a look at her surroundings, and gasps.

" Oh my god, what happened?"

No longer full of lush, leafy trees, the Forest region stands in ruins. Blackened husks marking where trees once stood. Grounds and brush scorched by what looks to be laser fire.

_" Scanning perimeter. Bio-life signs detected."_

Yumi leaps back as something walks into the area, her eyes widening as she stares at it.

It's a Crab, but not like any she's ever seen. The creature's body awash in black, it's 'head' covered in strange bumps. She has yet to see a XANA symbol.

The creature turns, regarding her. _" Subject verification unknown. Attire suggests hostile rebel, lethal action authorized."_

Lasers strike the ground, prompting Yumi to leap back again, her hand automatically releasing her deadly disk. The metal fan arcs through the air, slicing through one of the bumps.

The Crab suddenly screeches as numerical data starts streaming from the punctured lump. _" Life points compromised! Initiate standard retreat protocol!" _It reels drunkenly before collapsing to it's knees. _" Damage too severe, shutdown imminent!" _The beast shatters, the pieces vanishing as Yumi stares.

She doesn't get enough time to think before...

_" Companion unit destroyed. Proceed with target destruction. Backup request."_

Yumi pales as multiple Crabs appear over the horizon, then falls back as a laser strikes her arm. The fan is already leaving her hand as she wonders just what the hell's going on.

1

On the other side of the ridge, two figures watch in complete silence. The air of stillness only broken by the occasional flash of sword or claw.

" Could it really be her?" The feline/human hybrid asks his stodic companion, slicing through another Block with his claws. The move is automatic and lethal, as silent as the still air inhabiting this world.

The area is littered with broken debris, the waning number of Crabs and Blocks showing the seriousness of the two warriors. Only a handful of Crabs remain, out of sight for the moment. The rest have departed, heading toward the distant figure. A lone Block advances on the distracted boy.

The samurai stares for a moment, before shaking his head in disgust. " No. Just another XANA construct, like all the others." He suddenly thrusts both swords behind him, the Block shattering before it can register it's demise.

" In Lyoko, I don't think so. XANA doesn't play that kind of game. It accomplishes nothing."

Ulrich frowns, watching the geisha tear into a Crab with her fan. Her posture practically spoke confidence. " Look at the way she moves. She never fought like that, she wouldn't, and you know it."

It's Odd's turn to frown as he rubs his arm. " And you're forgetting that she used to, in the beginning. She fought just as hard as the rest of us, harder even sometimes."

"_Used to _is the key phrase." Ulrich insists quietly, but not quietly enough that Odd's keen ears couldn't hear.

Odd shook his head, then tensed, ears twitching rapidly, before suddenly jumping straight up. The laser blast strikes the ground instead. Landing neatly on the approaching Crab, he drug his claws across the numerous bumps, then plunges his hand into the nearest one before looking at Ulrich. " Fine, I'll check it out myself." He finishes quietly.

The Crab shudders as he yanks his hand free, shattering into digital dust as Odd leaps back into the fray, chasing the retreating group.

Ulrich didn't follow, keeping himself busy with the remaining Crabs. Though every so often he would glance over in _her _direction.

1

' This is crazy.' Yumi thinks as she throws her fan again. Her aim is perfect, but the approaching Crab doesn't fall nor shatter. Instead the bump she'd just sheered off seals back up, the Crab looking completely unharmed. As if to confirm her fears, the Crab speaks.

_" Structual damage inconsequencial. Continue with target destruction."_

A false bump? Maybe only one true weak point, hidden amongst the fakes? It made about as much sense as everything else.

Another hit and she's on her back, wondering briefly how many life points she has left, before she's up and fighting again. Completely unaware of the being watching her.

1

' Curiouser and curiouser.' The figure thinks, observing the girl below. He's on one of the few treetops still standing, his claws sunk into the 'wood', tail swishing gently.

" She's certainly handling herself, whoever she is." He remarks to himself. " Even seems to know about the Crab's false points." He smiles lightly, revealing sharpened fangs. " Let's see how she handles a surprise attack." He clenches his fist.

A soft click and it emerges from his wrist.

He then aims, not at her, but at the object she's holding, a little scare to shake her up.

" Laser arrow." A soft whisper, and the arrow flies out, spinning, whistling through the air as it strikes it's target with pinpoint precision.

A small gasp and she's holding her hand in disbelief, looking around for the originator of the attack.

And then she's leaping for the fallen disk as laser fire from the Crabs continue around her, grabbing it as her head goes up, almost on him.

" Odd?"

He nearly loses his balance. Though she's not looking at him, her eyes still glancing between the leftover treetops and the Crabs advancing on her, the fact that she knows his name adds another piece to this strange puzzle. An idea forms.

Satisfied that she won't be deleted or destroyed before he can relay his information to Ulrich, Odd leaves the girl.

1

" And again, I reiterate. This is crazy." Yumi says to herself as she aims high, sending her fan skimming through a tight group of Crabs. Through sheer luck, she's managed to take out a fairly good amount of the beasts, but not without taking a few hits herself.

"Probably got only twenty life points left, maybe less.' She thinks as she watches two of the four Crabs disintegrate, the fan returning to her hand as she slid back behind one of the only tree trunks remaining. After a moment, she looks out.

The remaining Crabs are shuffling warily about the edge of the woods, not shooting, but not retreating either. In fact, they almost look like they're communicating with each other.

Whatever the reason for their hesitation, it gives her a moment to contemplate the strange things that have happened in the last few minutes.

' More Crabs than expected, plus some kind of modifications to them, and not friends in sight.' He eyes went to her fan. A fairly large dent is visible on the metal. ' Strike that, at least one friend seems to be around.'

She let out a frustrated sigh. ' Odd, such a lousy shot sometimes. He's lucky he didn't hit me.' She smiles a little at the thought of Odd, who loves keeping score of his 'kills', having to explain to her why he decided to use her as target practice.

The smile fades. But why isn't he here? Even if he held a grudge for her earlier remark, he's not one to abandon anyone in the middle of a fight. And that brought up another question, just where is Ulrich? She needed some answers.

" Jeremie?" She kept her voice down, lest the Crabs heard her. " Jeremie, can you hear me?" Nothing but static greets her. " Great, add another mystery to the puzzle."

_" Resume target pursuit."_

Yumi's head whips up as 'wood' chips begin flying, the Crabs once again firing on her position.

' Okay, get out of this alive first, questions later.' She jumps up, her fan flying.

1

Odd is returning. Ulrich notes as he watches his small lithe form bounding across the smoking ruins. Most of the Crabs he's been fighting have been eliminated, though a few still remain hidden.

As Odd draws nearer, Ulrich notices the smoke rising from his wrist.

" Trouble?" He asks.

" No. I used one of my arrows."

"Why?"

" I wanted to see how she'd react."

" And...?"

" Surprised and a little scared. Reaction speed about average." He looks slightly disturbed. " The weird thing is, she called my name, like she knew my weapon type." His gaze went to the now closed compartment on his wrist. " I rarely use these things anymore."

" So, what do you suggest we do?"

" I advise we pull out. See if the protocol sends her back with us."

" Okay." Ulrich agreed, albeit a bit reluctantly.

" I know what you're thinking. Don't worry, if he manages to to track us through her somehow, we'll just get to the next setup point. I know it's risky."

" Try wasteful." Ulrich replies as the last two Crabs finally decide to show themselves. " But we don't have much choice, we can't leave it here to possibly cause more damage." Reflecting twin lasers back to their owners, he sheaths his weapons befor double tapping his right ear, then turns to the occupied tower.

_Link established._

There's no need to be subtle. XANA obviously knew they're in Lyoko.

" Aelita, status!"

_" Condensed time reversal at ninty-five percent. Expected completion in thirty seconds." _A pause. _" Reversal processing, secure, complete. Desired course of action request?"_

" Yes, scanner retrieval protocol. Series order, two, one, three, four. Extended stasis on four."

_" Four?" _Came the confused response.

" Affirmative. Possible X-Y construct in fourth Lyoko avatar skin. Testing retrieval on subject, confirm?" He still has difficulties talking to Aelita like this, but while on Lyoko such protocols are deemed neccessary. Ever since that day...

_" Confirmed."_

Her response is clipped and cool, almost cold. Ulrich's not surprised, his feelings are quite similar when dealing with this kind of situation. He's pretty certain Odd feels the same way.

_"RA Code?"_

" Oh, um, three-five-seven-nine. Double mask delta four."

The RA code, or random access code, is used for hiding their activities from XANA. Each virtualization and devirtualization needed a new code to prevent XANA from deleting or corrupting their avatars. The masks kept their location secret, and allowed them to continue accessing Lyoko.

_" RA code and masking successful. Initiating retrieval process. Processing. Two..."_

Odd waved to Ulrich as the devirtualization circle enshrouded him. His form vanishing.

_" One..."_

Aelita's voice faded as she returned to Earth.

" Wait, don't leave!"

Ulrich turns to the remaining figure, the fake's eyes are wide with confusion and fear as it continues fighting XANA's creatures. He doesn't help, instead merely observing. It seems too coincidental that it's appearance has caused XANA's creatures to flock to it, even if they did seem to put up a convincing fight.

' Nice try, XANA.'

" Jeremie! Bring him back!"

_" Three..."_

He stiffens, feeling the tingling sensation as the circle surrounds him, his last vision of the fake reaching out for him.

1

**" Humans, such curious creatures. And simple, are they not?"**

The seated figure nods. " They are a curiousity,but simple they are not. Complex, unpredictable, that's what makes them dangerous." The figure adjusts his glasses, turning to the screen showing the battle in Lyoko's Forest region. Something catches his eye.

" Hmmm, what's this?" A few button presses and the screen rotates, zooming in on the object in question, particulary the face.

**" A problem?"**

A chuckle, the glasses once again pushing up the bridge of his nose. "A problem, hardly. Just the sudden appearace of an old friend."

**"Friend?"**

Another chuckle. " Former actually. Certainly not a threat to our plans." The fingers of his hands steeple, chin resting between them as he studies the image. " Welcome back," A leering grin appears, " Yumi."

To be continued.

1

And chapter one is done. Yes, this is confusing, that's the way I want it to be. Answers will slowly be revealed. I have no clue how many chapters this will be. Chapter two is pretty far along, so hopefully it won't take long before I post it.

Author's notes. Yes, I know. Another story started before I've finished my other ones. I just couldn't get this idea to rest, and as it is, I've written a substancial amount already. My other stories are still being written, with "Crossed Circuits" conclusion almost complete. Oh and one more thing, this site seems to like making page break lines vanish, so I put a 1 to serve as the page break. Please forgive me if the breaks still don't appear.

Anyway, if you read, please review. I like people's thoughts.


	2. A Whole New World

Twisted Reality

By Flying Star

Disclaimer: Once my virus spreads, I shall own the rights. But until then, I don't own Code Lyoko.

1

Confused? I bet you are. Yumi's arrival in the alternate world was considerably less than welcome, and since she's in the alternate world, then where is her counterpart? You'll see here.

Review replies:

**D. Wolf Falls**: Yep, it's finally up. Thanks, and as for the figure at the end, you'll find out in chapter 3 now.

**Mystdragon**: Back writing at least. Things will get much more confusing as the story goes on.

**Neo Aguni**: Thanks, and here's the next part.

**K1092000: **Thanks, and it's not so much as to what XANA did in the real world, but as to what happened to the alternate world...You'll see.

**Oddkittykat: **Thanks, here's the next part.

**Amber Skye: **Yeah, they did kick butt, as for the bold lettering, as you said Mwuah...ha haaaa!

**SunJade: **I was hoping it was different. And believe me, I want to get this done. So I'll try my best to get all your questions answered. Thanks.

**Palantiri: **Long time, no see. Well, I have been known to annoy people with cliffhangers, and this is no exception. Anyway, glad you liked it and here's the next part.

1

Note to readers: The story will now shift back and forth between worlds, it's all a part of the confusion.

**Bold: You'll see soon.**

_Italics: Monotone, mechanical voice. Alter Aelita tends to speak this way. Also used for emphasis._

" " : Speech.

' ' : Thinking/thoughts.

1 : Section/pages breaks.

1

Chapter two: A Whole New World

"Jeremie! Bring him back!"

Yumi tried pushing past the numerous creatures advancing on her, to get to the distant figure still within the area. She's too late though, as the transfer circle surrounding Ulrich has now passed his head, removing him from Lyoko.

_" ...Four, with extended statsis.."_

The remaining Crabs backed off as the circle appeared, sending her back to Earth.

1

' Has everyone gone insane?' The thought enters and leaves Yumi's mind just as quickly, the question revealing no answers.

Instinctively she kept her eyes shut, half listening to the voices around her as she tried to sort what had happened to her.

From what she can tell, she's on a bed, or something similar to one, judging by the material pressing against her back. Also, something bound her hands and feet, a quick pull confirming restraints. But why?

The people in the room still assume she's still unconscious, judging by the way they're talking. But that doesn't help her much.

She mentally shook her head. ' And who's to say I'm not suffering some kind of brain disfunction? Maybe I'm not awake, and this is all some crazy dream...'

_" Analysis complete. Biological components are one hundred percent, no digital matter present."_

' Aelita.' Yumi thinks, recognizing her voice.

" Impossible! Every construct has had no more than one percent organic matter in them! XANA can't create humans, only machines! They're not human, and neither is she!"

' Ulrich?'

_" I'm telling you, Ulrich, she's pure human. Fully organic."_

" Then your sensors are wrong. I'd know if it was her. She's not coming back..."

' Who are they talking about?'

" Calm down." Odd's voice interupts. " You know Aelita's sensors are never wrong. " His voice softens. " And I, unlike you, still have some hope that she's alive." Tired frustration is evident.

Yumi's feeling more and more confused by the minute, but remains quiet. It's obvious that something's wrong with her friends. And in this kind of situation it's best to remain calm and listen, until she can figure out just what's going on.

Unfortunately, her silent observation, has already been observed.

" She called for _Jeremie_. " Ulrich replies quietly.

Dead silence.

Yumi shifts uncomfortably, wishing she had a way to sink into the bed. The cold tension hanging as Aelita spoke.

_" May I suggest we halt this conversation."_

" On what grounds?"

_" On the grounds that the subject of our immediate discussion has regained consciousness."_

' Busted!'

Yumi suddenly found herself being shoved roughly against the bed backboard, the restraints straining painfully as cold metal is placed against her throat.

_" Open your eyes!" _

The demand, Yumi realizes to her shock, has come from Aelita. The soft, lithe voice strangely toned and hardened by anger, but hers none the less.

Yumi reluctantly opens her eyes, recognizing the owner of the weapon currently jabbing against her throat, Ulrich. He looks cautious, but not apologetic for holding her down.

A cursery glance reveals Odd and Aelita in the room, Odd's expression guarded, and Aelita's bordering on hostile. Yumi isn't certain, but it looks like something is wrong with Odd's face.

Her attention is forcibly yanked back down to Ulrich as he adjusts his grip, the metal almost drawing blood.

" Who are you?" The brown-haired boy practically growls, observing her, waiting for her answer.

And how to answer, really? Telling the truth would be wise, except it already looked like he wouldn't believe what she said. Still, lying would probably speed up her demise.

She chose the former, speaking formally. " Yumi Ishiyama."

She shrieks as Ulrich grabs her hair, yanking hard. The action causes him to involuntarily nick the skin of her neck, crimson liquid seeping out.

" You're lying! You can't be her! She's dead, she's DEAD!"

The pressure on her neck suddenly lessens as Odd and Aelita grab him from behind, pulling him off the bed.

_" Ulrich, cease your attack!" _Aelita held his arm back with surprising strength for her slight form, her voice radiating authority. _" That's an order!"_

" Ulrich, listen to the commander! Can't you see you're hurting her!" Odd tries grabbing for Ulrich's sword, but misses.

' Commander?' Yumi thinks, watching in puzzled silence as Aelita reaches over, yanking the weapon from Ulrich's grasp before he can react.

" And can't you see that it's a phoney. Yumi's dead, nothing can bring her back!"

Yumi's eyes widen in surprise. ' Dead? Okay, what's going on? I pass out in the scanner for less than a minute, and everyone's acting like I passed away instead.' More comes to her, the strange malfunction, Jeremie's voice sounding so distant... And just where is Jeremie for that matter? She has yet to see him anywhere.

Her attention turns back to Ulrich as he slumps, all the fight seeming to go out of him as he sighs. " I'm sorry, it's just that..." He trails off as Odd and Aelita take a step back, releasing him as his eyes focus on her. She shudders. 'Empty, nothing but emptiness in his eyes, no hope.'

" You know what it likes to do, what _he _likes to do." His voices practically dripping venom.

Yumi saw Aelita nod, though her eyes are shadowed, haunted.

_" While my feelings are similar to yours, I have to agree with Odd. My sensors indicate pain and the presence of bodily fluids. She is injured." _A frown appears, her eyes clouding over for a moment before she shakes her head. _" XANA creates creatures without pain, without human weaknesses. It is fact."_

Ulrich still doesn't look quite convinced. " I know, but it's...she just can't be alive. Not after all this time." He turns, plopping himself into a chair, his head resting on the hilt of his now returned sword. " I-I need a moment."

Aelita acknowledges his request, tilting her head slightly in agreement. _" That is acceptable." _Her eyes return to Yumi, her demeanor becoming cold and formal. _" Explain yourself."_

Yumi stares, feeling as if she's looking at a stranger. This person before her acts nothing like the gentle soul she knows. But realizing the position she's in, she decides to act like a cooperative little prisoner, at least until she can figure out what's going on. Besides, it doesn't look like they'll believe her if she tells the truth or lies. " I think something happened, to my scanner that is. A malfunction or glitch of some kind that kept me in mid transfer for a little longer than Odd and Ulrich. " She notes the raised eyebrow from Odd, and the way Ulrich's head raises slightly.

_" A scanner malfunction?" _Aelita eyes her suspiciously. _" The scanners have never registered any changes in function."_

" Are you sure? Did Jeremie do a system ch..." Yumi pauses, suddenly feeling very self conscious as all eyes turn to her, the looks of curiousity now very hostile. ' Not good.'

_" I need to talk to someone. Do not let her leave this room unless she has to use the facilities. I will return shortly." _Never once does Aelita's harsh expression change as she stands, leaving the room.

Ulrich stands as well, turning to Odd. " First watch?"

Odd nods. " First watch. Tradeoff at sunrise."

Yumi cocks her head, confused.

" But first, I need to get something to eat." Odd smiles at his friend, who returns the gesture.

' The first normal thing today.' Yumi thinks as Ulrich speaks.

" Okay, just make it quick. And see if you can rustle up something for me as well."

" I'll be back as quickly as I can." Odd responds, then he's out the door, leaving Yumi with the still armed boy.

1

He stands by the bed, regarding her with disgust. " You might fool them, but you don't fool me. It's only a matter of time before they recognize that you're not Yumi."

Frustration mounts, pushing away her initial fear as Yumi glares at Ulrich. " I **AM **Yumi! Why doesn't anyone believe me!"

Ulrich stiffens, and for a second he looks ready to grab her again, but instead he turns, heading to a nearby closet. " Really? You really believe you're Yumi?"

From her vantage point, she can't see what he's doing. That is until something flies through the air, landing on her chest with a thud. Yumi quickly bit her lip to keep from crying out.

It's her head, a molded plastic head that looks exactly like her own head. The eyes open and staring, but...

The ' head' lifts off her chest, swinging lazily from Ulrich's fist. " An uncanny likeness, don't you think?" He sneers.

" Where, how..."

" Ah, so now you're speechless." A casual toss, and the head lands behind him, out of sight. " Figures a construct would..."

It's then that the door opens, Odd coming back in with a few candy bars. " Sorry, I couldn't scrounge up much. "

Ulrich waves his hand dismissively, ignoring Yumi completely. " Not a problem, I'll make due with what we have."

_" Ulrich. Your presence is requested in my quarters." _Aelita's voice crackles over the speaker above Yumi's bed.

Ulrich nods to Odd. " I'll be back to take up the shift later." And then he's gone."

1

He stares at her still form, again wondering why. Why her? What had happened to his friend?

Ulrich sighs, looking away for a moment. XANA's attack had been nothing special, just a few monsters here and there. A few counterattacks on Odd and his part, and Aelita had made it to the tower safely.

His eyes go back to her, watching her chest rise in fall steadily. She's in a deep, but not restful sleep. He notes as her eyes squeeze tight for the third time in the last ten minutes, a low moan sounding from her throat as she shifts slightly, her hands pulling at the straps holding her down.

Did they really need to restrain her?

Something had happened to her, before the transfer, a data transfer error, or something of the like.

He frowns. But Jeremie had taken care of it, fixing the error and sending her to Lyoko just seconds later, with seemingly no ill effects.

So why did she cower?

Ulrich remembers watching her appear in Lyoko's 'sky', her body landing in a tight crouch. Her eyes looking warily about the area with a kind of guarded caution that he had never seen displayed on her face.

Fear, that's what it had been. Fear in her eyes as she'd turned to the approaching Crabs, her body tensing up, becoming as rigid as ice.

His shout of warning coming way too late as the lasers tear into her body, ripping away life points as he runs to her. Her body breaking apart just before he reaches her.

And then Jeremie's voice calling his signature phrase as the world goes white.

XANA's attack was reversed, but Yumi had been found unconscious in her scanner, _after _the time reversal.

She had remained that way, even while they rushed her to the hospital. It was only there that she regained consciousness for a brief moment.

But all was not well.

Her sudden awakening at the hospital, had been followed by her fighting against the very people transporting her, fighting as desperately as if she was fearing for her life...

Ulrich shook his head as the doctor returns, telling him he has to leave while they run more tests. As he leaves, he looks back one more time.

She still lays, as still as death, unable to answer the questions raging through his mind.

It just doesn't make sense.

1

With Ulrich now gone, Yumi gives herself a chance to breath, and then looks at Odd. He's staring at her, examining her. She, in turn, studies him. He looks worn out, lines of exhaustion creasing around his eyes, wait, his eyes. He's standing closer now, close enough for her to finally see it.

He obviously realizes it too, as he suddenly reaches into his pocket, pulling out a used, but still intact, eyepatch. The milky white of his right eye now covered by the tan fabric.

" I didn't mean to stare." Yumi says quietly, realizing she's just invaded his privacy.

He waves his hand. " No need to apologize, it's not a pretty sight, I'm sure." He turns, shutting the door before heading to the far corner of the room. " We all wear scars that we don't want others to see." He sat down, settling back into the seat's cushion as he picked up a tattered magazine. " Don't mind me, I'm just doing my job." He finishes, turning his attention away from her.

1

Aelita looks up as Ulrich enters the room, placing the papers she's been looking at aside.

_" I've decided to let Dorthy do an examination."_

" Because you believe she's human." Ulrich nods.

_" Since you think my sensors are inaccurate. Yes."_

Ulrich winces, knowing he's insulted her. " Aelita, do you believe her?"

_" I will reserve my assessments for after the exam. She is neither friend nor foe in my mind at the moment." _She eyes him. _" Have you passed judgement already?"_

Ulrich's hands lace behind his head. " I don't know. I want to believe her, but after all this time, it's just so hard."

Aelita nods. _" I understand your hesitation. Now let us leave."_

The two leave the room.

1

Voices, she could hear voices. Muffled by human, and overlayed by a steady beeping sound.

The japanese girl risks opening an eye, and shuts it almost as quickly.

' A hospital, impossible! They don't exist anymore! XANA made sure of that!' Her thoughts are racing in disbelief at the sight. But she had seen it, the white sheets, clean sheets draping her body. The IV bottle hanging by her side.

" Patient was combative, had to use restraints as a precaution." A faint voice, through the door.

The felt straps holding her arms...

Her eyes pop open, fear immediately overriding curiousity as she tugs at the straps. ' Oh god, they found us! Somehow they found our hiding place and caught us! And Ulrich, no, he'll kill him too!'

She continues struggling, the straps chaffing her wrists as she pulls, tears now rolling down her cheeks as she imagines the horrors that await her.

1

After lying on her back for awhile, Yumi's come to two conclusions. One, she has a lot of questions running through her mind. And two, lying spreadeagle for so long, hurts.

Chancing a glance at her 'sentry', who is now preoccupying himself with gazing out the only window in the room, she sighs.

' A scanner malfunction, that no one acknowledges, modified XANA creatures,' she looks over at Odd again, ' and friends who act like strangers.' The only thing stopping this from being a dream is the very real feeling of pain, the pain in her neck from earlier. So, what had really happened?

It's not a dream, that's for sure. Hypnosis, maybe. Selective ammnesia? It seems reasonable, and possible. An attack like XANA did before. But why have her friends forget _her_?

Yumi always prided herself on knowing the facts, and so she thought back, trying to dissect what had happened before she left for Lyoko.

The scanner malfunction seemed to be the likely source of her predicament. XANA mostly likely had planted a bug or virus in the software, but why wasn't she affected?

Wait. Her eyes widen as a piece of the puzzle fell into place. Now that she thought about it, she was the last one to enter the scanner, meaning that Jeremie could've found the problem and stopped XANA from getting to her as well. That explained her sudden blackout while being transfered to Lyoko.

Her gaze goes back to Odd for a moment, before turning to the ceiling.

But it had obviously gotten to her friends.

So in likelyhood, XANA didn't make her friends think she was dead because it wanted to, but because it saw it's attack had not affected her. And futhermore, her friends hostility whenever she mentioned Jeremie's name was probably tied to XANA's attack. It had meant to turn them, even Aelita since she had gone through the scanner as well, against Jeremie. Without him at the controls, they wouldn't be able to stop XANA from destroying Earth. It also meant that Jeremie was probably in hiding. And that Aelita had taken over his position, considering how the others called her commander.

She frowns. But that didn't explain Odd's injury, nor the strange plastic head that Ulrich had thrown at her, or the destruction to Lyoko in such a short period of time. And what about their tattered appearances?

In fact, how long had she been out during the transfer? Minutes, hours, could she have been stuck for days before being plopped down into Lyoko?

A sigh. There are still too many questions, but at least she has some answers.

" Comfy?"

Yumi blinks. ' Spaced out for a moment there.' She thinks, feeling Odd's eyes on her. " What?"

" Are you comfortable?" He asks again.

With her wrists throbbing from the straps, comfort is the farthest thing from her mind. " No." A whisper, more to herself than to her captor.

Odd suddenly stands, placing the magazine on his seat before heading to the bed. " Well, we can't have that, now can we?"

' He actually heard me from across the room?'

" Oh, don't look surprised. My hearing's quite sensitive. I think it's a byproduct of my Lyoko form. " He starts undoing the strap on her right wrist. " I'm just releasing your arms for now, so you can stretch." Strap unclasped, he begins working on the left one.

Yumi's flexes her wrist, relieved when it starts tingling, then looks up as he tugs the other clasp free. She then touches her neck, where a gauze strip has been taped over her wound from earlier. " Why?"

" Hmmmm?" He wipes his hands together.

" Why help me? Your friends won't even talk to me, yet you have no problem doing so?"

" Why?" Odd chuckles before sitting down. " I'm not really sure. Maybe it's because I truly believe you, that you're human at least." He thumbs through another page of the magazine before looking at her.

" I try to look past outer appearances, to see the truth within." He shrugs.

" Do you think I'm human, for real?"

He stood, walking to the bed again. " I believe what I want to believe." He shook his head. " Look, I've already said too much. No matter who you are, you know him, and that's enough to keep you here."

"Know who?"

_" Odd, explain your actions."_

Yumi watchs Odd cringe as he turns to the door. Aelita, along with Ulrich, are standing in the doorway. Before he can speak, she walks in, fixing him with a cold stare.

He bows to the silent commander, a show of respect and abashment, before speaking. " Just some small talk to pass the time, ma'am. Forgive me, but how long have you been there?"

_" Long enough." _Her tone is short and contrite as she glares at him. _" To hear you interacting with the subject, and starting to release her from her bonds."_

Surprisingly Odd returns the glare, standing as tall as his compact form allows. " It's not a crime to make small talk _ma'am._" He takes a step forward, and Yumi had the distinct feeling that this isn't the first time the two have clashed. " And besides, it gave me a chance to question her motives. " He looks over his shoulder for a split second, before returning to his superior. " She does know _him_, but not _about_ him, and even if she did..." He's almost in her face now, his gaze even with hers.

" We know what to do with people like him. And she wouldn't be able to escape from me."

Aelita didn't back down, but nods lightly. _" Your logic is sound and your reasons are acceptable..." _Though the look she gave him is hidden from Yumi's view, she can see Odd's expression very easily. _" However..."_

The boy's stern expression evaporates, his body sagging as Aelita looms over him.

_" You still violated CL code 1302. A reprimand is required. CP duty, three hours."_

Odd groans, but doesn't argue his fate, leaving the group without another word.

Aelita turns back to Yumi. _" You are to come with us for evaluation. Do not struggle or try to escape." _She gives a quick nod to Ulrich, who Yumi sees is again wielding his sword. _" For I will not be held accountable for my friends' actions if you do."_

Without any choice, Yumi watches them unbind the straps around her feet, the two letting her stretch her legs to get the blood flowing. Ulrich then produces a bandana from his pocket.

" Stand still."

And Yumi's world becomes dark again as the cloth is placed over her eyes.

1

The japanese girl froze as the door suddenly opens, her heart clenching in her chest.

But instead of the one she fears, a short, balding man, clothed in white, enters. He looks at her sympathetically.

" Ah I see you're awake, my dear. You gave us quite a scare."

She remains quiet.

The doctor, she assumes, produced a stethascope, placing it on her chest. " Your heart's racing, try to calm down."

The girl only nods lightly, taking a few deep breaths.

After a moment the doctor nods. " Much better. I believe you had a fainting spell." He wraps the surgical instrument back around his neck, then notices where her gaze is at. " I apologize for the restraints, but you were disoriented when your friends brought you in, and you resisted our orderlies. You seem to be past whatever was ailing you though, so let's get those straps off."

Though still confused, the girl is relieved to have freedom of movement again.

" Speaking of your friends, they're right outside in the hall. Would you like to see them?"

A small nod.

" Very well. Oh, and your parents are on their way." The door closes, leaving her alone for a moment.

The girl stares at the door, hearing his last words echo in her head. ' Your parents are on their way.'

" Yumi?"

" Ulrich, Odd, you're okay." She smiles, forgetting the doctor's words as relief floods through her at the sight of her two close friends. " Where's Aelita? Why am I here, and in an actual working hospital, and..." She felt like she could breath again, so happy that her friends are okay. XANA hadn't found them, they're safe...

The door swings open again, the sound of footsteps echoing as someone enters.

She looks up, and screams...

1

After what seemed to be a long walk, Yumi heard a door open.

_" We're here, Dorthy. Ulrich, remove her blindfold."_

Yumi had to blink a few times against the bright lights, and then supresses the urge to gag. The room, to put it lightly, smells like death. The walls are covered in newspapers and other assorted pieces of paper. It takes her a moment, and then she realizes that the room is actually an autopsy room, rows of drawers hiding their grisly remains sit back inside the walls. And a surgical table, that doesn't look very sanitary, sits in the center.

She looks up at the only other occupant in the room besides her captors. The woman before her looks well older than her years, wrinkles crease her eyes and mouth, her body slightly slouched. Nevertheless, Yumi still recognizes the school nurse who cared for many a student at Kadic High.

" Hidden underground, from it's eyes." Ulrich states quietly.

" Put this on, and then lie down." Nurse Dorthy says gently, handing Yumi a hospital gown.

Yumi complies, though she waits for Aelita and Ulrich to leave the room first.

" Okay, let's begin."

Compared to everything's that's happened to her since she first regained consciousness, the exam is fairly routine, the nurse bringing her through the various physiological checkups.

After checking her over fully, the nurse calls Aelita back in, and brings her to the back of the room to talk quietly.

1

It happened so quickly that Ulrich has no time to react.

He only sees the flash of terror in her eyes, and then she's pushing past him, knocking him, Odd, and Jeremie down in the process, heading for...

The door that's still open from Jeremie's entrance.

" Yumi!"

Ulrich scrambles to his feet, running and unfortunately slamming into the now closed door, the sound of her flight echoing through the door.

" Ulrich!" Odd reaches for him, but he shrugs off the offered hand.

With fresh blood pouring from his nose, Ulrich simultaneously jumps to his feet and yanks the door open, before leaping into the hallway, his friends close behind.

They're too late though, the hallway's already empty.

1

Lying on her back, Yumi listens to the two converse as best she can, occasional snippets reaching her ears.

" Human, good health, unaware." Are just a few of the words she hears.

It's then that she realizes just what she's been missing since she first woke up on Lyoko. The presence of her parents. She looks up, just as the two are returning, Ulrich coming in the door as well.

" I have to see my parents. Where are they?" She froze as Aelita's eyes met hers.

_" Yumi Ishiyama's parents." _She pauses, then looks Yumi straight in the eye.

Yumi felt her heart tighten.

_" Have been deceased for almost a year."_

To be continued...

1

Hah! I am evil! Leaving it on another cliffhanger like that. I bet I've confused you even more. Good. The next chapter will give the identity of the character at the end of chapter one. Chapter three is moving along well, so it should be completed soon, I hope. By the way the CL that Aelita was referring to meant common law, Odd wasn't supposed to speak with the prisoner until Aelita deemed so. Oh, I bet that confused you further.

Anyway, if you read, please review. I like people's thoughts.


	3. A Shocking Realization

Twisted Reality

By Flying Star

Disclaimer: ' Imputs a password, invalid password flashes onscreen.' In other words, I don't own Code Lyoko.

1

Plot's thickening eh? Bet you weren't expecting that little surprise at the end. Well, I've got more surprises in store. And might I mention that this chapter went through three rewrites?

Review replies:

**Kay: **Ah, just what I was aiming for. Here's the next part.

**Oddkittycat: **Thanks. As for Odd's eye, you'll see a few chapters from now. Heh, okay, you can quit looking over my shoulder for here's the next part.

**Neo Aguni: **Thanks, and here's the next part.

**Mystdragon2k: **I won't spoil it, but remember there is an alternate world, so read carefully. As for the 'it', you'll see. There won't be much romance, but action and tragedy will be a staple of this story. Anyway, thanks, and here's the next part.

**Amber Skye: **Yes, an autopsy room, very morbid. I figured having the nurse be like a general caregiver for the group. Yes, and she'll be shocked by who comes to her in this chapter.

**TamerTerra: **Rincewind syndrome? I've gotta look that up. It's definitely interesting writing for a character who I basically had to do two personalities for, since I have the original Yumi and her counterpart. Perpetual danger, maybe, or maybe something she saw. But thanks for the review, glad you enjoyed it. Here's the next part.

**D. Wolf Falls: **'Blush' There are many people a lot better than me, but thanks. Yes, I try to get the details just right before I post. Which believe me is a pain, considering I'm writing for two seperate worlds. But anyway, here's the next part.

**Doggiegal: **Thanks, and here's the next part.

**Nikana Olos: **Thanks, and here's the next part.

**RaptorK Beta: **Yeah, it is weird. Oh, I've read G-Force 4's fanfic. I could never come close to his caliber of writing. As for writing in the present tense, I sortof slipped into it be accident. I'm trying to concentrate more on writing in the past tense for the rest of the story. And yeah, I agree, present tense is awkward. Here's the next part.

**aZn sIsTeR 92: **Thanks, glad you liked it. Well, you're half right. No future stuff, but a parallel alternate reality, Yumi and her alter have switched. Here's the next part.

1

**Bold: You'll know here.**

_Italics: Monotone, mechanical voice. Alter Aelita tends to speak this way. Also used for emphasis._

" " : Speaking

' ' : Thoughts/thinking

1 : Section Breaks

1

Chapter three: A Shocking Realization

It was like someone had socked her in the gut, her breath taken away as she whispered. " No, you're lying." Yumi glared at the commander. " My parents are alive."

Aelita didn't flinch. _" You say that as if you are Yumi..."_

" They are alive, and I'll prove it!" Before the two could react, she leapt off the bed, running out into the hall of the makeshift hospital.

Ulrich looked to Aelita, who nodded.

_" Follow her and observe. Her actions may reveal her true intentions." _She fiddled with something on her wrist. _" Keep your communicator line open. I shall relay instructions on what to do as you look for her."_

Ulrich bowed, then left.

1

Rain had begun falling, soaking through her meager gown, plastering her hair to her scalp, washing the tears from her face.

Yumi ignored it all, her feet pounding the pavement as she runs toward the cemetary.

Purely by luck, she had found the door leading outside, her eyes searching for the place in question. Surprisingly, some street signs still stood, allowing her to trace her way to her destination.

It was a lie, it had to be. Her parents were alive and healthy right before she left for Lyoko. There's no way they could've died a year ago.

She's able to make out the sign now, the wooden plaque hanging rather precariously from the gate. Just beyond that, tombstones, in various states of disrepair, litter the ground.

A quick shove and the gate opened easily, as if wanting to admit the confused and despondent girl.

She started her search, wiping plaques and tombstones, frantically looking, yet hoping at the same time that she won't find what she was looking for.

Unfortunately, Yumi found it in the third row.

She knelt before the embedded stone, unconcerned of the mud staining her knees, water and mud squelching between her fingers as she wipes the names clean.

" Oka-san, Oto-san." She whispered, as if hoping to see someone walk up and tell her it's not them. But no one comes, and the names don't lie.

It is them.

1

Ulrich reached the cemetary in time to see the girl go to her knees, her face pale as she reached for a marked grave. For the first time since he saw her, he felt doubt creep into his mind.

He raised his wrist, speaking into a small communicator. " Subject has been found, location is verified. Meet me at location JS three."

A slight pause. _" Understood. Meeting within instructed time. Aelita out."_

The communicator turned off as he walked up to her. " Just some of the first casualties of this war." He stated quietly, standing over her with his sword drawn. Now was not the time to go soft.

" Who?" She rose slowly, her eyes never straying from the grave.

Ulrich already knew the names engraved on the gravestone, he came with Yumi every day after their deaths to allow her a moment with them. Even when things grew dangerous, he still did it, for her.

Her back was still to him. " Who killed them?" Her tone growing more forced.

Instead of answering, he calmly sheathed his weapon and turned away, sprinting to the entrance.

" Hey!"

He glanced back, satisfied at what he saw. She was following him, just as he'd hoped.

Outpacing her, he found his companions where instructed, Odd and Aelita acknowledging his arrival as he appeared.

_" She pursued you?" _Aelita asked.

A if in confirmation, Yumi appeared around the corner. " What's going on!" She demanded while looking the group over. None seem surprised to see her there.

Aelita suddenly stood, her gaze frosty. _" You will refrain from raising your decibel volume, prisoner." _She motioned for Yumi to sit.

Yumi hesitated until Aelita gestured to Ulrich. Immediately the boy unsheathed his weapon, holding it to Yumi's neck.

" Sit down." An order not to be argued.

As Yumi sat, Aelita motioned to Ulrich, who took a seat next to her, his sword still clenched in his grasp.

Aelita cleared her throat. _" Now that I have attained your attention, I shall answer your unmentioned query. What you viewed were the victims of our nemesis."_

" XANA." Yumi muttered the name to herself, but Aelita heard.

_" Affirmative. XANA has deleted many lives from this plane of existence." _She suddenly grew more subdued. _" But it has not accomplished it's deeds alone. It had help from a human, one who used to be a part of our group." _As Aelita's eyes squeezed shut, Yumi felt her heart drop.

Aelita's gaze went up, at the statue occupying the base.

And as Yumi looked up, she saw it too, her earlier assumptions crushed at the realization of just who stood arrogantly over the ghost town.

_" His name is..."_

1

" XANA, status report!" The figured called into his headset as he punched up the upper level monitor.

Black smoke swirled onscreen before a voice issued forth. **" Define status?"**

" Grafting of subjects 1C and 1A."

XANA's 'body' moved away, allowing the figure to see the other beings onscreen, the smallest of which were crying loudly from behind locked cells. **" The ones of chronologically lesser ages, the IC's, have not fared very well. We've lost roughly half their numbers."**

The person remained calm. " Very well, then proceed with augumentation of subjects 1A."

**" What shall I do with the rest of the IC's?"**

" They're useless to me. Eliminate them."

**" Heh. You truly are a human after my own heart."**

A smirk. " What heart?"

**" Touche." **A pause. **" I am troubled, though. May I inquire as to the purpose of augumentation? These beings are meant to be eliminated, not enhanced."**

The boy nodded. " Yes, they are worthless in the grand scheme of things, but I do not do this to help them. They are merely centerpieces to my army, unthinking drones that will enforce smaller areas. They will show the masses what I can do if they don't obey. " The boy's smirk grew into a malicious smile. " You know how I like to experiment, it's really just a bit of fun before I purge this world. And their screams..." his smirk became darker.

The mist seemed to nod, wisping up and down in agreement. **" It is quite a sweet sound."**

1

Having informed the doctors and security personal of Yumi's sudden departure, Odd, Jeremie, and Ulrich began searching for their friend. Hall closets were opened, bathrooms carefully searched, until...

" I found her!"

Ulrich and Jeremie turned to Odd, who was standing outside a supply closet not far from the hospital's entrance.

" She's right here." He said more quietly as the two came up to him.

Ulrich's gaze went to the interior. She was huddled near the back, her entire body trembling.

" S-stay away from me." The words were barely spoken above a whisper.

Ulrich noted the tear trails already on her cheeks, the way her eyes narrowed in abject fear as she stared past him.

" Keep him away from me." Her tone was higher pitched, breath coming in harsh gasps.

He looked back at Jeremie, who seemed as surprised as he was, the paperwork clenched in his grasp nearly falling from his hands.

Yumi's eyes dart between the three of them, giving Ulrich the impression of a trapped animal.

" Get away." She pushed farther inside the small space, her back against the wall of shelves now.

" Yumi, what's wrong?" Odd took a cautious step forward, and her attention turned to him, her face growing whiter.

" Y-your face." She whispered, her hand reaching for something. " Not right, it's not right."

" What's not right, Yumi?" Ulrich came closer, observing the frightened girl more closely. Definitely different from the Yumi he knew, her very posture spoke fear, just like she'd looked in Lyoko.

" You're not my friends." Her hand suddenly whipped forward, a scalpel clenched tightly in her fist. Her gaze turned, knuckles growing whiter around the instrument as her eyes land on _him _again.

Jeremie and Odd stepped back, but Ulrich stood his ground.

" Yumi," he began, keeping his voice soft and even. No need to panic her further. " we are your friends." He took a small step in her direction...

And burning pain blossomed in his shoulder, the shocked youth looking down at the surgical instrument now stuck in the flesh. " Uhhh, Yumi..."

Yumi seemed shocked at what she'd done, her eyes as wide as dinner plates as she sudden slumped against the wall, unconscious.

Ulrich recovered quickly. " Odd, get me a towel."

" Ulrich?"

" Do it!"

Odd obeyed, leaving Ulrich and Jeremie with the fallen girl.

Ulrich clenched a hand over the oozing wound as he knelt beside the unmoving girl, using his other hand to brush away a few strands of hair from her eyes.

Just what had possessed her? The Yumi he knew wouldn't run away in fear, wouldn't attack him...

He continued staring, even as a hand landed on his uninjured shoulder.

" Ulrich, the doctor's here. You need to let him examine you."

Ulrich shook his head, uncaring of Jeremie's words. " No, I can't leave her here." Suddenly hands were holding him, lifting him to his feet.

' Orderlies.' He thought dully, recognizing the pair of men accompanying the doctor.

The doctor eyed his injured appendage. " Come on son, you need medical attention."

Ulrich's gaze returned to Yumi. " Will she be okay?"

The doctor sighed. " She seems to have overexerted herself, but she should be okay."

At that moment the double doors down the hall opened, Yumi's parents bursting through. Spotting the group, they rushed to their daughter's side.

" What happened to her?" Her mother demanded, her gaze falling on Ulrich.

" Easy, ma'am. This young man had a bit of an accident. I can fill you in after I've tended to him, and returned your daughter to her room." His voice softened as he said a few more words that Ulrich couldn't quite hear.

Whatever he said seemed to pacify the worried mother, who stepped aside.

The doctor motioned to the orderlies, who carefully placed Yumi on a stretcher, and then turned to Ulrich.

" Follow me."

Ulrich did as told, yet all the while, he couldn't quite figure out why Yumi had seemed so afraid of...

1

_" Jeremie."_

Yumi stared in wonder and shock. It was definitely him, Jeremie, peering across the ruined landscape like some mad dictator. A plaque was affixed to the base that read...

" YOUR LORD AND MASTER."

_" It is no lie. Jeremie has partnered with XANA, with our sworn enemy. He betrayed us, betrayed me." _She stared at Yumi. _" And you called for him."_

She suddenly leaned down, grabbing Yumi's chin, her gaze piercing into Yumi's. _" Explain your actions, tell me why you wanted him."_

Yumi hesitated, and with good reason. To find out that Jeremie had switched sides, it didn't seem real. " Because, he is- was my friend. At least I thought he was." She whispered, just loud enough for Aelita to hear.

There was dead silence from the commander for a few seconds. Then she blinked slowly, her eyes narrowing as she stood up.

" Aelita?" Ulrich asked, but she ignored him as she glared at Yumi.

_" We're returning to base. Retrieve the prisoner, and place her in a room until I give further orders." _The cold, neutral mask was back on her face as she walked away.

" Stand still." Ulrich's voice came from behind Yumi as the blindfold was again placed over her eyes.

1

Yumi stumbled forward, barely stopping herself from falling as a hand shoved her roughly into the room.

" You can remove the blindfold after you hear the door shut."

The voice was Ulrich's, the tone still as harsh as before.

A small click informed Yumi of the door's closure, at which she removed the blindfold. The room was different, smaller yes, but slightly more furnished. A few chairs, a battered sofa with cushions missing.

But her attention was drawn to the far right wall, crudely cobbled together shelves lined it, various pictures perched on them. She walked closer, and peered at the photographs.

Most were of the four people here, Odd, Aelita, Ulrich, and herself. A small cluster of them were in less pristine condition though, whole pieces torn off. Yumi could already guess who the missing person was.

She shook her head. It made about as much sense as her friend's sudden hostility, and her parent's apparent deaths. Yumi continued glancing through the pictures, completely doubting her original assumptions now. Maybe...

Something caught her eye, a lone picture on a single shelf. She picked it up, feeling her eyes begin to mist up.

It was a picture of her and her parents. The two were smiling and flashing duel victory signs, while their other hand rested on her shoulders. Peering closer, Yumi noticed something scrawled on the back. She flipped it over, reading the words.

Her parents names were there, along with the accompanying sentence. "In loving memory."

Another confirmation of her parents deaths. Three words, just three simple words. She placed the picture back on the makeshift shelf, almost ready to break down again before a voice in the back of her mind, her voice of reason, urged her to look again.

She grabbed the photo, observing the back again. The text was a bit worn from frequent handling, but there in the corner she can still see it, the date of their deaths. The information caused her to gasp in disbelief. " This date, it can't be. It's the day we first fought XANA."

It was impossible. XANA had never managed to kill anyone in the the time they'd fought it. And it was well over a year since they'd first discovered the evil being. And that brought up another question. How could Jeremie be allied with XANA? As of the last time she checked, the shy genius was still trying to find a way to permanently free Aelita.

In her opinion, being tempted by power would be the farthest thing from his mind.

She wasn't able to ponder any longer as she heard the familar static of a speaker.

_" Ulrich, escort the prisoner to my quarters."_

Yumi quickly replaced the photo as the door opened, Ulrich walking in with his sword already drawn.

" You heard her, move it!"

Yumi obeyed, but muttered under her breath. " What, no blindfold?"

Ulrich doesn't hear her, or maybe chose to ignore her as he escorted her down the hall.

The walk gave her a moment to examine some of her surroundings. ' Sparse, not many furnishing, but certainly big. At least judging by how many doors I've seen.' She mused. The few open rooms she'd seen do little to reveal where she was, each holding little, if no, items of recognition.

" We're here, go inside." Without another word, Ulrich turned, walking back down the hallway.

Alone now, Yumi knocked lightly.

_" Open the door."_

Yumi did so, walking inside. At a desk directly across from her, Aelita sat quietly, her head down.

For a few seconds the pink-haired girl remained still, though Yumi could see her shoulders shaking slightly. Then without warning the palms of her hands struck the desk surface. _" Who are you!" _There was anger, and something else mixed in her voice that Yumi couldn't identify.

" Yumi." She stated quietly.

Aelita looked far from convinced as she continued glaring at Yumi. _" Negative, Yumi is..."_

The door suddenly burst open, Odd panting as he looked around the room. Spotting Aelita, he quickly blurted out. " Attack on point three five nine, the hospital!"

_"It's him." _Aelita growled. _" Retrieve Ulrich and let us commence with our attack of tower three before he can extinguish more lives." _She turned to leave, but Yumi grabbed her arm.

" Let me help."

Aelita stared for a heartbeat, then averted her gaze. _" I will give you a chance on Lyoko." _Still pointedly avoiding Yumi's gaze, she muttered to herself. _" It's time to assess your loyalty." _She shook her arm free, not giving her a second glance as she made her way out of the room.

1

' Where am I?"

The girl's eyes opened slowly, her mind registering her surroundings seconds later. " Hospital." She groaned thickly. Her head felt fuzzy, but she could tell she was back in the room from earlier, though no restraints held her down.

The thought brought her little comfort.

" Yumi?

She turned her head, and any thoughts of fleeing died away as she saw the person by her beside, tears spilling forth at this seemingly impossible vision.

" Mother?" She whispered.

1

' Where are we going?' Yumi thought as she followed the group down the hall. She was certain this wasn't the factory, there's no even a lift of any kind. There were stairs though, the collective group descending into what looked to be a basement.

In fact, it was a basement, Yumi realized as she stared. The room she'd been led to, was nothing like the scanner room she was so familar with. Cobbled together computer consoles litter debris ridden tables, various chairs of assorted sizes screwn about. There's no sign of a supercalculator.

On thing does look familar though. The sight of three scanners in the far corner of the room, slightly tarnished but still looking functional.

_"Odd, Ulrich."_

The two turned to their leader.

_"Board the scanners, I'm sending you to coordinates 3.54."_

"What about you?" Ulrich asked.

_"I shall follow with our prisoner as soon as I finish applying the masks."_

" I still think you're making a mistake. " Ulrich muttered, but did as she ordered, Odd doing so as well.

_" Your concerns are noted. Applying masks..." _She typed for a few moments, her fingers moving so fast that Yumi can't tell what she's typing. _"Processing, masking successful. Transfer Ulrich, transfer Odd. Scanner Ulrich, scanner Odd. Virtualization."_

The sound of the scanners fill the room as the two were scanned and sent to Lyoko, their icons appearing on the decent sized screen in front of Aelita.

" Both virtualizations successful." Ulrich's voice crackled over the computer's speakers.

Not that only Yumi and Aelita remain, the pink-haired girl paused from her typing.

_" Let me clarify one thing for you before I commence virtualization. Try to attack me or my comrades, and I shall have you deleted from the system. An act which will result in your permanent death." _Her voice held no room for doubt.

" I understand."

_" Then enter the scanner."_

Minutes later Yumi touched down, staring as Aelita landed behind her.

They were everwhere. Blocks filled the area like a swarm of insects, each sporting markings as strange as the Crabs. Stranger even, as their bodies seemed to consist of a black, tarry substance with lumps even stranger looking than the Crabs. It shouldn't be possible, XANA wasn't strong enough to create so many at once.

But the evidence was there as a group of Blocks turned to the new arrivals.

Yumi pulled her fan out, holding it defensively.

_" I shall advance to the target. Assist my comrades." _Aelita commanded as she turned to the distant tower, sprinting toward the glowing beacon.

Surprised at the commander's leap into danger, Yumi focused her attention on the Blocks. They ignored her, turning instead to the running figure, their lasers firing, the deadly beams heading straight for...

" Aelita, behind you!" Yumi yelled, then watched in horror as, instead of ducking or diving out of the way, the virtual girl whirled around, raising her hands.

A moment later the lasers struck, scoring a direct hit to the palms of Aelita's hands...

...before reflecting away, the blasts diffusing harmlessly like water splashing against a brick wall.

Aelita took a moment to dust her hands, before raising her head. _" You'll have to do better than that, Jeremie!" _She snarled, before turning back to Yumi as she said more quietly. _" My thanks." _And then turned, resuming her run for the tower, and leaving Yumi to stare openmouthed.

Her bewilderment was shortlived as a laser blast, followed by Odd's shout of " Quit gawking and help us!", brought her back to the present as she leapt into the fray. Her fan flew from her grasp, making a beeline for the nearest creature. To her dismay, her weapon glanced off it's peculiar hide, leaving no damage whatsoever.

" The pulsing bump, concentrate on the pulsing bump!" Odd yelled.

' Pulsing?' Yumi glanced over to Odd, and nearly did a double-take.

The eyepatch, which had followed him into Lyoko, had come loose, revealing a glowing red pupil underneath.

Her observation proved costly as she was hit twice more, her life points now dangerously low. Shaking off the hits, she spied the target Odd was talking about, and threw her fan.

1

" Mother?" Yumi stared at the person before her, afraid to blink lest she disappear. " You're alive?"

Her mother smiled. " Yumi, I'm so glad you're awake. How do you feel?"

Yumi blinked. " I feel okay, I think. I remember a light, and laughter. " She rolled over, facing her mother as she looked at her arms. " Strange, I thought I was injured?"

Her mother shook her head. " The doctors think you struck your head. Do you remember anything like that?"

She rubbed her head, wincing as she felt a large bump on her temple. " No, I-I don't. Mother, could you open the curtains?"

A moment later the curtains parted, revealing sunlit skies, and buildings standing in all their glory.

Yumi looked on in surprise. Everything was as it should be, no firelit skies, or Wasps flying about. And the people, she could see some walking by, laughing and talking. It all seemed so, normal.

' Could it be, was it all a dream?'

Her gaze went back to her mother. " Mother, have you ever heard of a being named XANA?"

" No. Why do you ask?" Is everything okay?"

" No reason." Yumi smiled. " For the first time today, everything feels right."

1

The shaking, black lump spewed forth digital data, the creature screeching as its form disintegrated.

Her fan flew again, hitting two more before she heard Odd yell.

" There's too many! Aelita's not going to make it!" He dashed between three Blocks, growling in frustration as three more took their place.

Yumi looked up, realizing the truth in Odd's words. At least a half dozen Blocks were chasing the virtual girl, leaving Aelita no choice but to continue deflecting their shots. But despite her strange defensive ability, some still managed to get through, depleting more and more of Aelita's life points.

Ignoring Odd's warning shouts, Yumi hid and placed her hands to the sides of her head, concentrating on a large boulder. She knew the move would drain the rest of her life points, but doesn't hesitate. Whether they think she's friend or foe, they're still fighting XANA.

And that's good enough reason for her to help.

Her ability kicked in, the large rock slowly rising form it's place of origin. Concentrating harder, she guided the object closer and close. Looking through her mind's eye she can 'see' Aelita tiring, the commander almost on her knees as she shakily deflected more shots.

She won't last much longer.

There! It's right where it needs to be! With a shout of exertion, Yumi let the boulder drop, the large rock crushing the group of creatures like a fly swatter crushing a fly.

And then she's falling herself, her body breaking apart as her life points reach zero.

To be continued...

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Another cliffie. And there's our mystery person. Did I surprise anyone? Who would've thought I'd be Jeremie helping XANA? Certainly not Yumi. Don't worry, Alter Aelita's ability will be explained later. More questions, few answers. Oh, and starting in chapter four or five, I shall begin having small profiles for each character and their Alternate self, so as to allow people to see the differences between them. Well, as usual, if you read, please review. I like people's thoughts.


	4. Emotional Boundries

Twisted Reality

By Flying Star

Disclaimer: Code, what code? You mean I need a code to unlock the rights? In other words, I don't own Code Lyoko.

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Reviewer Replies:

**Amber Skye: **Yep, just seemed appropriate. Heh, I like writing their exchanges. Hmm, did you read my mind? And yep, profiles begin here. Thanks, and here's the next part.

**American-Kitty: **Yep, red eye. As for why, chapter five will give some information. Yeah, he's very evil. : Blush: Wow, thanks, glad you're enjoying it. Here's the next part.

**Angels 'n Dreams: **Confusion will begin to clear up soon, but thanks, and here's the next part.

**Astarae100: **Thanks, and sorry for the long wait. Here's the next part.

**aZa sIsTeR 92: **Heh, oh really? Even geniuses can have their dark side... But anyway, thanks, that's what I try for, confusion and suspence. Here's the next part.

**Doggiegal: **Heh, I'm too lazy to sign in a lot of the time. Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, and here's the next part.

**D. Wolf Falls: **Not a problem, you were busy. I know how life can overwhelm. Glad you liked it, and here's the next part.

**Kay: **We'll just have to see, now won't we? Plot twists are fun to write. Thanks, and here's the next part.

**LiStEn2UrHeArT2: **Thanks, yeah it's meant to be confusing, though chapter five will clear up a lot of it. Here's the next part.

**MestRockRockST: **Confusion, yep, that's what I do. Sorry it took so long to get this chapter completed. Life and other things just took up my time. But thanks, and here's the next part.

**Mystdragon2k: **Good point, heh. Good to see you're understanding it more. Thanks, and here's the next part.

**Nikana Olos: **Ah, so you figured that out, eh? I'm glad you noticed his unmentioned status. Thanks, and here's the next part.

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Well, this is turning out much longer than I expected. Yumi finds out more about the commander, and a former friend strikes. Heh, still many questions with few answers, at least until the next chapter. Enjoy.

**Bold: XANA**

_Italics: Mechanical, montone speech. Alter Aelita tends to speak this way. Also used for emphasis._

" " : Speaking

' ' : Thoughts/thinking

1 : Section breaks

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Chapter 4: Emotional Boundries

" Ugh. How infuriating." The person in question reached out, replaying the footage again to make sure the pictures were accurate.

Noticing his agitation, the black mists swirling about the room 'settled' down behind him. **" More problems?"**

Jeremie looked over his shoulder, glaring at the shifting darkness. " Only another tower breach and deactivation, XANA." He sighed, angrily sweeping a few charts off his desk as he stared at the screen.

" How do they do it?" He muttered, more to himself than the being near him. " I trace the lines, I explore every possible accessway. Yet, they still manage to elude my scans and undo some of my damage. Damn pests."

**" Humans..." **XANA trailed off. **" Their adapability is uncanny."**

Jeremie's expression suddenly darkened as a particular scene came into view. " Your observations are astute, but tell me XANA. I did disable the avatar special ability program a long time ago, did I not?"

Despite having no human features to speak of, the mist looked genuinely surprised. **Special ability disablement took place several cycles ago."**

" Then explain to me how she," he pointed to the geisha onscreen, " was able to use her avatar's telekinetic ability!"

If XANA was disturbed by Jeremie's outburst, it showed no signs of it. **" Perhaps I can ease your mind?"**

The irate genius took a moment to calm down. " Did you find something?"

**" May it please you to know that I've found the rebels hideout?"**

Jeremie nearly fell off his chair. " You WHAT!"

**" My trace from their last transfer proved positive. I've pinpointed their current residence."**

Jeremie grinned darkly. " This it too perfect. Take out the main players, and the rest will fall like dominos." He stood up, facing XANA.

" Prepare a large troop of constructs, and a small group of 1A constructs with fifty percent organic matter. I want to see my creations in action. And build at least one Megatank so we can demolish the place. A warning to any others who decide to defy me." His grin swelled into malicious laughter. " We'll move out in about an hour."

1

" Your daughter checks out fine, Mrs. Ishiyama. I don't see why she can't go home later today."

" That's wonderful. Will she need any special treatment?"

His wound already attended to, Ulrich now stood outside _her _door, listening intently.

" Concussions are unpredictable, so if she feels dizzy or experiences any unusual behavior, give me a call. I'll prepare her release papers in a few hours."

The door suddenly swung open, Ulrich hastily taking a seat as Yumi's parents exited the room. Neither noticed as he slipped inside, hiding behind the door as it shut.

She was sitting on her bed, her back to him as she gazed out the parted curtains of her window.

She looked okay...

He took a few steps toward her.

" Isn't it wonderful?"

Ulrich stopped, watching as she turned around.

" To think that I really believed that Lyoko was real. But it can't be, not when I look outside this window and see how untainted everything is."

Okay, maybe she wasn't...

" Yumi, what are you talking about?"

" My dream, Lyoko was all a dream. I can't believe I thought it was real..." She trailed off as she noticed his face.

Ulrich wasn't smiling, just the opposite in fact.

He walked up to her until he was mere inches from her, staring, studying her.

His scrutiny was unsettling.

" What's wrong?" Her gaze fell on his shoulder, eyes widening at the gauze adherred there. She looked back into his eyes, eyes of serious intent.

" Yumi, " he began quietly, " it's not a dream."

Her heart dropped. " No, you're lying. It has to have been a dream. My parents are alive, I just saw them..."

He nodded. " Of course they're alive. I'm talking about Lyoko, it is real."

She shook her head angrily. " No, there's no such thing as virtual worlds, or evil viruses, or..." She trailed off.

" See, " Ulrich urged. " You know what I'm talking about. Maybe after you get checked out we could go to the factory? I'm sure Jeremie could figure out..."

" Get out..."

" What?"

" Please, just leave me alone." She turned back to the window.

" Okay, but if you feel like talking, you know you can talk to me." Only silence answered him.

Feeling hurt, Ulrich backed out of the room, giving Yumi one last glance before he shut the door. One thought running through his mind.

' Yumi, what has happened to you?'

1

' Not again.' Yumi thought as she looked up. She was back in her 'room', the room she was originally restrained in. At least this time she wasn't tied down. A fact which she was grateful for as her bladder was calling her attention.

Standing up, she walked to the door, then realized her garments were still the hospital issure attire she'd worn earlier, heavily stained with mud. Shoving aside, for the moment, the question of how after a time reversal she could still be wearing the outfit, she glanced around the room. It actually didn't come as such a surprise when she found her clothes tossed messily in a corner.

Dressing quickly, she opened the door leading into the hallway, taking a peek. So far so good, no sign of anyone.

After going to the restroom and closing the door behind her, she tiptoed down the corridor. She didn't want to return to her room, not yet at least.

She opened the door to the living room, if you could call it that, and nearly jumped when she realized she wasn't alone. Aelita was sitting at the table, a pencil clutched in her raised hand, a pad of paper lying open before her.

" Hello." Yumi said to the quiet girl.

_" Greetings." _The sprite turned flesh acknowledged, seemingly undisturbed by Yumi's sudden intrusion.

' Again, so far so good.' Yumi thought. ' At least she hasn't ordered anyone to retrieve me, yet.'

_" Are you going to stand there? Or do you have something to ask me?"_

" I just needed to use the bathroom, and I kind of got lost."

Aelita didn't meet her gaze. _" There is another reason."_

" Sorry." Yumi sighed. " Why?" She couldn't help blurting out.

_" Why what?" _She still wouldn't meet Yumi's gaze, her attention focused solely on the paper pad in front of her. Her hand came down, adding a few strokes to the image being drawn.

Curiousity got the better of her as Yumi took a few steps toward the table.

_"Stop!"_

Yumi immediately halted her advance, wondering again if it was such a good idea to make conversation with the troubled girl.

_" State your questions, then leave." _A couple more strokes, applied with harsher force.

" I can't pretend to understand what's going on, Aeli.." A quick glare from the pink-haired commander. " Sorry, commander." She sighed again, then remembered her query from earlier. " How was it that I was still in the hospital gown? The time reversal should've... "

_" Only reversed the district of the attack. Full area reversals are unattainable." _Aelita interupted. _" The hospital suffered only minor casualties, thanks to your assistance."_

Yumi looked surprised, but didn't question further on Aelita's explanation. " I feel, like I don't know anything anymore."

_" That makes two of us." _Aelita put the pencil down, but didn't look up. _" Answers are in short supply around her, and even I am puzzled by current events. Logically I cannot give an answer, for I do not have one. Anything else?"_

" Yes, why do you speak like that?"

_" Like what? This speech pattern is perfectly acceptable."_

" There you go again. You're speaking so stiffly, mechanically, almost like..."

_" Like a computer, you mean to say. I have no need to speak like a human, for I am not."_

" But you are human, anyone can see..."

_" Negative. I learned a long time ago, from the one I thought I could trust..." _Aelita's hands shook as she tore the paper from the pad. _" That I can never be human." _She looked at the image, and Yumi had a sinking suspicion of just who she'd been sketching.

" You can't believe everything you're told."

Aelita's gaze remained on the paper. " I-I thought he loved me." She whispered, her voice losing the monotonal quality for a moment as she shut the sketchpad. She finally looked up, the gathering moisture in her eyes spilling forth as the sketch was crushed between her clenched fingers, before dropping to the ground. _" But it was all a lie."_

Yumi placed a tentative hand on Aelita's shoulder. " Aelita, you're just as human as I am, and you know it."

Aelita shook her head. _" Yes, you are human, that has been confirmed. But I'm not, observe." _She grabbed a nail file, gasping lightly as she used the edge to puncture the flesh of her right hand. She then raised it, opening the palm for Yumi to see. _" Look at this and try to tell me I'm human."_

Yumi stared, trying to understand the substance trickling from the wound. It was liquid at least, but definitely not blood. The color pure black, with tiny bits of white floating throughout. " Wh-what is it?" She asked in stunned disbelief.

_" My code." _Aelita shut the hand, feeling the sticky wetness. _" My materialization had flaws, serious flaws." _Her eyes shifted downward, again avoiding Yumi's surprised stare. _" I cannot go into detail."_

Surprise transformed into frustration. " I don't get any of this!" Yumi began, turning her face away from the commander. "I have one little problem in the scanner, and all of a sudden it's like I'm in some other world. Odd's wearing an eyepatch and acting all serious, Ulrich won't talk to me, and acts like I'm a stranger, you're so cold, and strangest of all Jeremie's trying to kill us instead of helping us? What happened between you two?"

Aelita doesn't answer, though her lips drew into a thin line.

Yumi continued, unaware of the commander's darkening expression, but dimly aware that she was treading on dangerous ground. " I don't get how you two could go from being infatuated with each other to ..."

Aelita's head whipped up, anger fully replacing her sorrow. _" Don't feel sorry for me!" _She snarled, eyes narrowing. _" Love is a **human **emotion! And I can **never **be human!"_

Yumi removed her hand, backing away several steps as the seated commander suddenly stood. The anger in Aelita's face wasn't directed _at _her. Yumi realized. Rather at the person she had loved. But she had obviously crossed a line.

She turned to leave, and cried out in surprise when the wall next to her suddenly blew open, debris pelting her as she was blown through the door.

Groaning in pain, Yumi's eyes immediately went to the door, the girl fearing for Aelita's safety. The door, had been reduced to shattered splinters, pieces of the wall effectively blocking the entryway, sealing her off from the person inside.

" Commander!" The door down the hall flew open, Odd running out. " We're under attack!" He looked around frantically, spying Yumi." Where is she, where's the commander!"

" I-inside."

_" Get to the passageway,now!" _Aelita's voice issued from the rubble, causing the two to turn to the ruined door.

" But what about you?" Odd was already tearing at the debris as Yumi joined him.

From down the hallway, Yumi could hear the sounds of fighting. It was safe to assume that it was Ulrich fighting whatever had invaded.

_" Forget about me, just get to the next base! I'll be fine!"_

" No way, we stick together!" Odd continued tearing at the hunks of wood and plaster, Yumi helping as they heard a sharp cracking noise, followed by a muffled cry of pain.

" Aelita!" Odded looked shaken for a moment, then his expression hardened. " Stand back!"

Yumi backed up as Odd suddenly raised his foot, kicking at an angle. The biggest piece of plaster cracked, then split in half, raining dust on the two of them. Without waiting for Yumi, he plunged through.

Yumi herself was still staring after the boy when he emerged with Aelita's dust covered body. She was still conscious, but in pain as she held her right arm. Even without a medical degree, Yumi could tell the limb was either fractured or broken.

" Where did you learn to do that?" Yumi asked as the two helped Aelita to her feet, before sprinting toward the aformentioned area.

Odd smiled grimly. " When you're fighting for so long, you need any advantage you can get."

_" There."_

Aelita's pained voice brought them back to the task at hand as they reached the corridor's end. Sounds of fighting could be heard through the wood.

_" Escape route is through there."_

" Past whatever's got Ulrich busy, just great." Yumi muttered as Odd pushed the door open.

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" Ulrich, we've got a XANA attack!"

The brown-haired boy looked up only briefly from his dorm bed, before returning to his slumped position. Odd glanced up from his bed, pulling the headphones from his ears, watching curiously.

" So what?"

" What do you mean, so what?" Jeremie stood over the sullen boy, a small frown creasing his face. " We need to get to the factory immediately."

Ulrich waved his hand dismissively, but didn't look up. " I'm sure you and Odd can handle it."

" Since when do you forgo fighting XANA?" Jeremie asked, frustration edging his voice.

" Since Yumi practically kicked me out of the hospital."

" You're kidding?" Jeremie asked incredulously.

" Nope, he's been sulking here for the past," Odd glanced at the clock, " hour and a half. Gets to be so a guy can't enjoy his music in peace."

" I have every right to!" Ulrich demanded, finally looking up to glare at his hyperactive friend. " Yumi's been acting completely unlike herself, and won't even talk to me!"

" Ahem." Jeremie cleared his throat, trying to get their attention.

" Yeah well, I heard the doctors say she's got a concussion, the bump on her head's probably affecting her memory. Give her time, she'll turn around."

" Guys?" Jeremie's voice raised a little.

" No, it's not that." Ulrich sighed. " She just seems so, I don't even know how to describe it..."

" Guys!"

Both boys turned to the frustrated genius. " What?" They echoed.

" Remember, XANA attack, world in peril, Aelita needing our help. We have to get to the factory now! No excuses." He added when he saw Ulrich open his mouth to protest.

" Fine." Ulrich stood up, followed by Odd. " I guess I do feel up for a fight." He cracked his knuckles, then something struck him. " But what about Yumi?"

" Yumi's in no condition to fight."

" No, not that, I meant would a time reversal correct whatever is ailing her?"

Jeremie shrugged. " I'm not sure, it might. One thing I do know, standing here isn't going to provide us with any answers. Let's go."

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The factory doors opened, allowing the three inside, their footsteps echoing in the vast space of the supercalculator room.

Jeremie seated himself quickly, simultanously opening a link to Lyoko, while scanning the news for any unusual activity. " Aelita, can you hear me?"

A window popped up, Aelita's face appearing within. " Yes, Jeremie?"

" I've pinpointed the infected tower's location. It's in the polar region."

" I'm in the polar region, should I investigate?"

Jeremie shook his head. " No, wait for Odd and Ulrich to arrive.." He broke off as a newscaster appeared in the side window.

" I repeat, numerous toy tanks and planes are crowding the streets, ramming and divebombing any citizens that come into their path. Two injuries have already been reported, and a car crash is being blamed on the errant devices. Please be advised to keep any small children off the streets until the problem has been dealt with..."

" And we have our attack." Jeremie muttered.

" Pretty weak attack if you ask me. I mean, come on, toy tanks and planes? A few good swats and stomps, and they'll be nothing but broken toys." Odd said.

" Nevertheless, we don't have time to figure out why. We just need to stop it. Okay, you two get down to the scanner room and help Aelita to the tower."

His friends nodded, heading for the elevator down to the scanners.

Initiating the scan and transfer, Jeremie looked to Aelita. " Okay, I'm sending coordinates now."

Seconds later the two appeared in Lyoko.

Ulrich pulled his sword." Let's get this over with."

1

" What's XANA waiting for? I'm actually getting bored just waiting for it to attack." Odd's tail swished in agitation as he surveyed the area. So far nothing had jumped out to greet them as they treked to the tower, Aelita following close behind. " Hey Einstein, anything on your map yet?"

" Don't worry Odd. You've got three Crabs heading your way."

1

" Okay honey, it's time to take you home."

Yumi smiled, letting her parents help her into the vehicle. " It'll be good to be home." She answered as she relaxed into the padded seat of the car.

Seconds later, the car started up, the trio heading for the safe sanctuary of their house, Yumi watching the traffic pass with a sense of inner calm that had felt absent from the girl for so long.

Nothing could ruin this day.

1

The Crab toppled as Ulrich finished his swing, watching in satisfaction as the golith burst into scattered code, before fading away.

" Odd, how close is Aelita?" He called out, deflecting the next beast's shot with his sword as he stole a quick glance in Odd's general direction, never stopping his deflections.

He had to give XANA an A for effort at least. In addition to the three Crabs, they had also been beset by no less than five Blocks, and five Roachsters. But with his destruction of the previous Crab, that only left one Crab and two Blocks. A deflected laser bounced back, striking the remaining Crab in it's 'eye'.

Correction, now only two Blocks remained.

" She's at the tower!" Odd yelled back, using one of the Blocks to vault himself into the air, then flipped over, yelling, " Laser arrow!"

His shot held true, disintegrating the Block as they heard Jeremie's signature phrase.

" Return to the past, now!"

Outside the factory, the time reversing light spread outward, covering the area like a blanket of white.

As everything froze though, one remained free from it's time-stopping grasp, the girl's eyes widening as she watched her parents stop in mid-conversation, witnessing the world freeze as if someone had just hit the pause button on life.

Yumi watched in horror as the wall of light began to recede, uttering her shock in one disbelieving word.

" No."

1

The sight before Yumi was enough to make her question her sanity.

What Ulrich was fight, looked like her. The boy whirling through the dopplegangers, his sword flashing as he beheaded one and gutted another, sparking circuits and crimson liquid spilling out as some of the creatures screeched in pain.

It hit Yumi that these lookalikes were the same as the one Ulrich 'showed' her, the heads at least. Unexpressive replicas of her face.

' Constructs. That's what he'd meant back when they were questioning my humanity. XANA made robots with her face, but robots don't scream, don't feel pain.'

" Damn him." Odd growled from beside her as they stepped into the room. " It looks like the rumors were true."

" What rumors?" Yumi asked under her breath as she grabbed a splintered piece of metal. Not a good weapon, but it'd do.

" Jeremie likes to experiment with his captives..."

Yumi paled. " You mean..."

Their entrance doesn't go unnoticed as a small group of constructs turned to them, the expressions on their faces strangely unchanging as they charged.

" Protect Aelita!" Odd yelled as he jumped forward, punching one in the face. The result was instantaneous and disturbing. A crack appeared on it's 'face', the rigid plastic suddenly falling apart, revealing another face, one of flesh barely held together by strings of embedded metals and wires.

Yumi doesn't have time to feel disgust or horror at the sight as she jumped in front of the commander, raising her meager weapon in front of her as a hand slashed down.

A screech of pain, was followed by a gout of blood as the hand made direct contact with the jagged metal, flesh tearing from bone. With a cry of disgust, Yumi swung the ' weapon' around, knocking the being onto it's back, where it went still.

She continued fighting, keeping an eye on Aelita, and to an extent, Odd and Ulrich. They were faring quite well from what she could see. The boys using their fists to take out XANA's creations, while Aelita swept a few off their feet, felling a few of the constructs as she continued pressing her uninjured hand against a wall.

Now Yumi could see that not all of the beings look like her, only a handful sport a plastic face that looked like her own. The rest consisted of generic faceless heads. And not all appeared to have been human, judging by the wires and oil pouring forth.

Still, even knowing that a few of these poor souls used to be human turned her stomach.

As another creation fell, her luck began to run out. The next creature dodging her swing, and grabbing her arm before squeezing tightly. Pulling frantically, Yumi managed to free her arm, but only after she heard the slight crack of bones breaking. But she had yanked too hard, the sudden release causing her to fall back, the weapon skidding across the ground, out of reach.

And they still kept coming, a seemingly endless supply of these strange, staring creatures heading toward her, her back now pressed against the back wall of the room. A hand reached for her again, the being eerily silent as the appendage brushed her face.

It felt like putty, and smelled of rotting meat.

_"Come on! This way!"_

Yumi heard a crack, and looked up in time to see a hand grab her wrist, Odd flying past and yanking her almost off her feet as the previously nondescript wall she'd been cornered against swung open, admitting the confused girl and the others, before sealing back up again.

Moments later a deeping rumbling filled the area, the remaining constructs, programmed to wait for further instructions, only looked around in a dull stupor as XANA's Megatank rolled in, crushing everything in its path.

To be continued...

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Yes, an abrupt cliffhanger. The next chapter will finally clear away a chunk of the confusion as two worlds collide, not literally, but you'll see.

As stated in my previous chapter, I shall now include the first of a small series of character profiles for both the original characters and their alternate universe selves.

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Character Profile From An Unknown Source

**Aelita: Open, yet shy, very friendly. A gentle spirit that will forgo her safety to protect her friends, loyal. Has extensive knowledge of Lyoko, but is fairly clueless of Earth. Has virus linking her to XANA, if it dies, she dies. Rarely visits Earth due to worry about XANA using that link for sinister purposes, also she needs to monitor XANA's activity. ( Secretly in love with Jeremie).**

**Alter Aelita: More reserved than her counterpart, with underlying bitterness, rarely smiles. Has tendency to speak in monotone, and can appear cold at times. Tougher than our Aelita, perhaps due to hard life early on in Lyoko. Has variation of our Aelita's virus, though it's effects are not known, but stays on Earth longer due to Lyoko being overrun with XANA's creatures. Only goes to Lyoko to undue some of the damage XANA deals to the real world. More knowledgeable of Earth, but doesn't get to enjoy the planet. 'Leader' of the alternate Lyoko group. ( Originally harbored feelings for Alter Jeremie, until betrayal. Still trying to cope.).**

_Lyoko Form_

_Aelita: Pink haired sprite, can reform Lyoko using Gaiakinesis, but loses fifty life points for each time. Can leap far distances and drop from steep heights with no damage. Only one who can deactivate the towers._

_Alter Aelita: Pink haired sprite. Mostly same as above, but has more life points and is able to block some laser shots from weaker creature, (Roachster and Blocks for example), if she is aware of the attack. Subject has no know Gaiakinesis ability._

_...Added point of interest_

**Alter Aelita has unique ability to scan and read digital and organic structures while on Earth. This information suggests that her materialization wasn't perfected. Possible she can't attain full humanity while on Earth.**

_...Analysis bears further investigating..._

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There you go, a bit of the differences between Aelita's original self and her alternate universe self. Next chapter will have Odd's profile.

Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. The next chapter shall reveal a lot more on what's going. So as usual, if you read, please review. I like people's thoughts.


	5. Confrontations and Revelations

Twisted Reality

By Flying Star

Disclaimer: ' _Program running, user unknown. Access denied.' _In other words, I don't own Code Lyoko, Antefilms and Moonscoop do.

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Due to this site's new restrictions, I can't put reviewer replies, but rest assured I appreciate all reviews.

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Finally, some of the main confusion will be explained in this chapter as Yumi meets some very familar people. And her Alter self has a difficult decision to make.

**Bold: XANA speaking**

_Italics: Mechanical, monotone voice. Alter Aelita tends to speak this way. Also used for emphasis._

" " : Talking

' ' : Thinking/thoughts

1 : Section breaks

Alter : Used to indentify alternate reality characters from their original counterparts. Will be put into place about midchapter for obvious reasons.

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Chapter five: Confrontations and Revelations

" NO!" Jeremie's fist slammed onto the computer console, his eyes tight with anger. " Do _NOT _tell me that they escaped!" He keyed up the last visual data from his creations, watching in muted rage as the subjects of his attack fled through a hidden passageway.

And not only that, but the Megatank's destruction of the area had effectively halted any way to track them. And he had no one to blame but himself. How foolish of him, how wasteful.

He shook his head, regaining his composure. In truth their escape was merely a minor setback that wouldn't put a dent in his grand scheme. But still...

He turned to XANA, the latter of which was circling restlessly behind him. " An unknown factor. " He muttered under his breath, eyes returning to the screen. " A newcomer to the game." His hands flew across the keyboard, typing rapidly as he called up various specs and logs on the last deciphered transfer information. _She _may have been able to block some of their access points, but even she couldn't hide everything from him for long. He _would _find an answer.

**" What are you observing?"**

His finger pressed to the screen. " Yumi. I thought her return was irrelevant, but now I have to know, how she survived..."

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She looked up from her hospital bed, cautious, wary, but absolutely certain.

The sense of familarity was unmistakable, undeniable. The details too vivid to just be a dream.

Time had reversed.

It's easy to doubt a memory, for time and other thoughts can cloud what one remembers, but reality, was a different matter altogether.

Having experienced it many times before, she was quite familar with what a time reversal felt like. Such an out of the ordinary event, that nonetheless was a regular occurance for her, the sensation kinda left a mark on one protected from it's memory erasing effects.

Already her parents had visited her, as well as the doctor, saying the same things she'd heard them say before, word for word, knowing the questions in her mind before they even asked them. And she knew who was going to be coming into the room any second now.

And as she thought it, she heard the door open, and squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn't, no, she wouldn't talk to him, not yet.

" Yumi?"

She risked cracking an eye open ever so slightly. Yes, it was him, Ulrich, standing by the door, along with Odd. She could see that the gauze was no longer present on his shoulder, just as she figured.

" Yumi, are you okay?"

She remained motionless, shutting her eye, not giving any sign that she heard him, instead listening to him converse with Odd.

" I don't understand what could be wrong with her." It was Ulrich's voice. " She shouldn't even be here."

" Hey, she was unconscious _again_ after the attack. And besides, after everything's that's happened since we first began this fight, not much surprises me anymore."

" That's true." There was a pause. " Should I shake her awake?" Ulrich's voice again.

" Not a good idea buddy. If she still doesn't recognize us and starts screaming, we'll have a heck of a time explaining to the doctors."

There was another reluctant pause, before...

" So, since the reversal didn't help, then..."

" It might be best to get with the others, see what they've found out. Course, I better check on Kiwi first, poor dog has to be fed again. You coming?" It was Odd's voice.

Yumi tensed slightly. ' Kiwi, but he was k...'

" I'll be out in just a bit, you go on ahead."

It was a lie, of course. Yumi could tell from the tone of his voice. But still she heard two sets of footsteps leave the room, and after waiting a few minutes after the door shut to make sure they were gone, she slowly opened her eyes. Though she never was one to go off on her own, she needed to know what was going on, descreetly that is. Her mind was made up, whether real or not, she had to find out the truth.

She gulped slightly at the thought. That meant heading to the one place she feared the most.

Sitting up in bed, she scoured the room for her clothes. Luckily the doctor, in his previous visit, had already removed the IVs and monitoring equipment for her coming departure. Finding her clothes, she dressed quickly and quietly, before heading for the door.

Cracking it open, she was relieved to find the hall mostly unoccupied. And more importantly, devoid of her parents and her supposed 'friends'. A small pang of longing hit her. She wanted more than anything to be with her parents, but she had to know why they were alive.

With stealth born of fear and urgency, she quickly made her way through the hospital and toward the exit. It was then that she noticed Ulrich. He was walking toward the same set of doors she had intended to go through, though he didn't seem to be paying much attention to who was around him , judging by his near collision with a few of the partrons.

Using that to her advantage, and some of the visitors for cover, she exited the farthest set of doors, never looking back.

Now was the time for some answers, whether she wanted them or not.

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_" Perplexing." _The commander mused to herself as she backtracked through the previous set of commands, shiftly slightly as she did so. The movement brought a small grimace to her face as her already tender arm was jarred.

The appendage had suffered damage from the latest attack, but the fracture was bearable. Of course Nurse Dorthy had thought otherwise, advising her to take it easy for awhile.

But rest was not an option, not until she figured out the girl residing with them. She frowned. The girl had proven her loyalty in Lyoko, preventing her from being deleted. Aelita shuddered lightly, the memory of her near deletion still fresh in her mind.

But, Aelita reasoned, looking back at the profile staring back at her. There was an anomaly in the geisha programming, actually more like something from the past, something that shouldn't have been accessible to any of them anymore.

She tapped the screen, before typing in a series of complex commands, shoving the information aside for the moment as she continued delving deeper into Lyoko's operating system.

This 'Yumi', as she called herself, while definitely human, was a singularity that shouldn't exist.

The logic being their friend has supposedly perished more than six months ago, in an attack that had been a bitter strike to the core of their team, an event that still made her question her ability as a leader. She shook her head, guilt she couldn't afford, not now. And there was still the fact that Yumi seemed to be standing in the next room over. It was quite an enigma, but then again, so was she.

That very reason was what fueled Aelita's search, her hands continually flying over the keyboard as she tried accessing the transfer history of their first Lyoko containment modules, the scanners. While Jeremie had managed to eliminate two facilities housing the transfer implements, the raw protected data was still available for her access. There were certain programs that she had made sure were unavailable to anyone but herself. Though sometimes she feared even the advanced firewalls wouldn't be enough.

Right now though, the task was proving quite more difficult that she'd expected. She frowned. It had to be there, it was only a matter of finding the right piece of information.

_" There." _She said aloud, recognizing the transfer codes from that day. The word though, was barely out her mouth before the screen suddenly changed, a face showing through the rapidly clearing resolution.

Impossible...

Illogical...

_" Indentify yourself!"_

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A sudden ring startled Ulrich out of his thoughts. ' It's Jeremie.' He thought as he read the mobile phone number. He felt like ignoring him, especially since XANA normally couldn't attack twice in one day. She was more important to him.

But still...

He sighed, pressing the talk button. " Yeah, Jeremie? What is it?"

" I have news concerning Yumi's 'condition."

That caught his attention immediately as he stood outside the hospital. It had been almost an hour since he'd tried to talk to her in the hospital, receiving only silence for his attempt. If memory served him right, Yumi was going to be leaving very soon.

Too bad he didn't realize the chaos going on inside the hospital pertaining to the discovery of the aformentioned japanese girl's suddenly disappearence.

He just wanted to be outside to see her again, to see if she'd be more willing to talk to him.

" What condition? She's fine now."

" No, she's not." Jeremie's voice was tinged with annoyance. " And you know it."

Of course he knew it. Yumi's refusal to go near the factory, her sudden attachment to her parents, not that there was anything wrong with that. But how she thought Lyoko was nothing but a bad dream, where her parents were dead and...

" Ulrich, hey Ulrich! You still with me?"

He shook his head. " Yeah, I'm here. " A sigh. " You're right, I am worried about her."

" And rightfully so." Jeremie replied. " Listen, I need you to come to the factory. I have an inkling as to why she's been acting so strange."

" But what about her? Shouldn't she come with me?"

" Believe me Ulrich. I don't think Yumi will be leaving her parents for awhile."

" What do you mean?"

J-just get to the factory. I'll explain there. I'd take too long to tell you over the phone."

Ulrich sighed, glancing up at the hospital. " Fine, " he answered reluctantly after a moment. " I'll be there in just a bit."

" Good, and I'll notify Odd."

" I thought he was there already?"

" No. He called me about a half hour ago. Said Jim caught him sneaking around. So he had to stay after. He should be able to come now, so I'll call him."

Looking at the hospital one more time, Ulrich headed to the factory. Unbeknowest to him though, the one he thought was in the hospital, was far from there.

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The elevator ride was strangely quiet, the two occupants exchanging neither greetings nor questions. Both thinking the same thing.

What had happened to Yumi, and how did it pertain to the factory?

As the doors opened, Ulrich noticed Jeremie, who was in conversation with Aelita. The two were examining the supercalculator's screen. Since Aelita was sitting in his seat, materialized obviously by Jeremie, and doing most of the typing, that meant she was there for reasons other than a quick visit.

Ulrich couldn't tell what had their attention.

" Okay, spill."

Jeremie, as well as Aelita, jumped the sound of his voice, the genius recovering first. " Ulrich, don't scare me like that."

" Well, you wanted us here."

Jeremie nodded, then motioned for Aelita to move aside. She did so, at which Jeremie sat down. " That's true." He pushed his glasses back up, keying in a mess of codes that meant little to Ulrich. " There's been some strange fluctations on Lyoko, creatures suddenly fading in an out, changing forms. Like this for instance." He pulled up a screen capture.

Ulrich frowned. " What the heck is that thing?" He asked. The monster looked like a Crab, but instead of being orange with the XANA symbol, it had a strange black, bumpy covering.

" It's not just the Crabs." Jeremie answered. " Other Lyoko creatures are being affected as well." He looked at Ulrich. " And all of this started to happen right after the last time jump." He turned back to the screen. " I pulled Aelita out a precaution, and had her do a search of Lyoko's transfer log, and she managed to stumble on something quite fascinating." He scrolled through more lines of code, before pressing his finger to a line composed of five strands.

" As you can see, this data stream holds all records of our arrivals and departures from Lyoko, including myself and Aelita. Now we just isolate this particular strand and..."

" Just get to the point, Jeremie. What does this have to do with Yumi?"

Jeremie looked surprised, but quickly recovered. " As I was saying, this strand holds Yumi's last transfer data, and here, " he gestured to the line, which was split in two, " is where the error occured."

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Odd looked up, giving her a small smile as she slumped into the chair next to him.

" Fancy meeting you here." He quipped, reminding Yumi of the Odd she knew.

Yumi let a small smile slip through. " Ordinary entrances are overrated." She surveyed the room. " Nice accomodations."making it past her lips before she winced, rubbing her sore arm. It hadn't been broken, but it still hurt.

" I'm thinking of having Aelita add a hot tub. I mean this place could use an interior..." He trailed off as Ulrich and the aformentioned commander walked into the room. The former seemed to be deep in thought, while the latter looked as icy as ever as she entered. Her arm had been carefully wrapped, no doubt by Dorthy.

Taking a seat before them, Aelita allowed her eyes to land on Yumi.

_" It has been concluded that you are not of our world." _The words were spoken matter of factly.

This was certainly news to Yumi. " What?"

_" You are Yumi, but not our Yumi." _Aelita looked pointedly at Ulrich, who was still staring off into space. _" Various factors contributed to my final analysis, including your template description."_

The small screen behind her suddenly lit up, a diagram of Yumi's Lyoko profile appearing. _" Basic examination after your 'arrival' brought me little information." _The pic zoomed in, focusing on the head of the profile. _" After the last battle in Lyoko though, I did a deeper search, and discovered your base code to be YI-V1." _

" Y1-V1?" Yumi's couldn't figure out the significance.

_" Avatar model version 1." Our current models only consist of version 2. A neccessary upgrade after Jeremie tampered with the first versions."_

" He corrupted them?"

_" Not completely, otherwise I wouldn't be here." _She shook her head, looking slightly depressed, before her expression turned cold again. _" But that's besides the point. First version templates are inaccessible to anyone now."_

" Why is that?"

Aelita doesn't seem to hear her as she pressed a few more keys on the panel in front of her. _" But the main factor came when I tried to trace the data line from the first time you appeared in Lyoko. I found a previously unnoticed error, and made contact with..." _The screen suddenly changed, revealing a face, slightly blurry but still recognizable. The face of the one standing before her.

Aelita.

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" Okay, so I'm asking again. What does this have to do with Yumi?" Jeremie was really trying his patience now.

" Simple, these lines, though the same up to this point, seperate and switch right here. But that's not the real reason I brought you here. " He stood up, moving away from the console, gesturing for Aelita to take his seat. " Aelita, imput the command data, and let her know we're ready." He backed away farther, giving Ulrich an apologetic look. " She, uh, has a problem with my presence. So it's best that I stay out of her line of sight. Aelita will explain in a moment."

Ulrich groaned. " Let's pretend I understand you. Now explain why Yumi's been acting the way she is."

Jeremie suddenly leaned forward, fixing him with a look, just as the screen changed. Ulriched looked up, doing a double take as the person onscreen regarded him with a curious eye.

Aelita swiveled the seat around. " Because she's not our Yumi."

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Yumi stared at the two Aelitas, trying to comprehend how she could be standing in front of her, _and _looking at her from the computer screen.

" Who..?" She couldn't find the words.

_" She is Aelita, your Aelita."_

Yumi turned to the onscreen Aelita. " Aelita?"

The onscreen Aelita, who looked as human as the one standing in the room, smiled. " It's good to see you Yumi."

Yumi held up a hand. " Wait a minute, how can you be there, and _here_?" She gestured to the commander, who seemed more intent on watching the area behind the other Aelita.

_" He is not there, is he?"_

The other Aelita nodded. " He left for the moment."

The commander sighed. _" Your basis for lying is flawed, for I know he is within the room. If he wishes to appear, he may do so. But do not expect me to tolerate his appearance."_

Jeremie stepped into view, drawing a growl of anger from Alter Ulrich, who was standing near the commander. Yumiglanced over, noting how tense he looked.

Alter Aelita ignored the seething boy, turning her attention back to her counterpart as she spoke to Yumi. " _As I was saying, I made contact with your Aelita, at about the same time your Aelita discovered the same flawed strand of data that I assume was the cause of all this..."_

" Wait, so you mean to say?" Yumi asked, realization hitting her. " That my scanner threw me into your world?"

_"Affirmative." _Alter Aelita nodded while addressing everyone else. _" Logically, I'm inclined to admit that just how this anomaly occured is beyond my reasoning."_

"Wait a minute." Ulrich interupted, noting the absent alter genius. " I'm counting four people in your room, where's you Jeremie?"

Alter Aelita looked uncomfortable. _"He's.."_

" An insane meglomaniac bent on the enslavement of the human race. So he wasn't invited."

All eyes, even Alter Ulrich's, turned to Yumi, who shrugged. " It's true. He's partnered with XANA, and betrayed his friends. Though why he did so..." She trailed off, unable to think of an answer.

" A tyrant?" Jeremie questioned, addressing the commander. " D-did he hurt you?" Alter Aelita looked away. " I can see why you harbor so much animosity toward me." He finished quietly.

Yumi couldn't tell if Alter Aelita was hiding anger, or something else as her gaze went back to the screen.

_" I..."_

And suddenly the screen darkened, winking out altogether. Seconds later it came back on, only with white static replacing the picture.

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Jeremie turned away from the screen. " Aelita, keep trying to reastablish a link." The girl nodded as Jeremie now looked at Ulrich and Odd. " So, that answer your question?"

Ulrich's eyebrow raised, his tone skeptical. " You really expect us to believe that? An alternate reality universe with an alternate version of you that's partnered with an alternate version of XANA and taken over the world? And our Yumi is now somehow over there?"

It was Jeremie's turn to frown. " So the fact that we protect our world from a malicious artificial intelligence that can attack humans through ordinary objects. Doing so by entering a virtual world, assisting a virtual girl, who's here in the flesh, with advancing to infected towers which house XANA's handiwork. Where she imputs a code that _reverses _the actual time structure of our world, altering the very principles of time and space, _physically _shifting the whole world back a day. That's completely acceptable to you?"

Ulrich shifted uncomfortably. Jeremie had him there. " Well, when you put it that way, I guess it isn't that hard to believe."

" No kidding. That's some pretty bizzare stuff." Odd piped in. " But's it's believable."

The harsh sound of static drew their attention back to the screen, Alter Aelita reappearing.

_" My apologies. There were some technical difficulties with the link."_

" That's okay." Aelita replied. " From what you said before our connection was cut, suggests that the informational strands for our world's Yumi and yours somehow got intertwined and seperated, resulting in the aformentioned switching of our respective people."

_" Affirmative, this knowledge clears up much about the 'disappearance' of our Yumi, for the one with you, is the one we thought had been, eliminated months ago."_

"Actually," Ulrich spoke up, " She's not with us right now."

" Yes I am."

All eyes went to the lift, Alter Yumi carefully stepping out from the shadows, her eyes warily watching the group.

" How did you enter here without our knowledge?" Aelita asked.

Alter Yumi's attention was focused soley on Ulrich. " Hidden passageway. I waited outside the factory, and when Ulrich arrived I snuck in."

" How much did you hear?" Ulrich asked, surprised that he hadn't seen her.

" I-I heard everything." She looked down. " Deep down I knew, that this wasn't my home. But I didn't want to accept it. "

" What convinced you?" Ulrich asked.

" When time reversed. The sensation is not something you forget so easily."

" Of course, it makes sense." Jeremie mused, not noticing the girl pale as she looked at him. " Your profile, though altered, is still in the supercalculator's files. So any time reversal would still exclude you from it's complete memory erasure. And furthermore..."

" Uh, Jeremie," Ulrich interupted, keenly aware of Alter Yumi's sudden disposition." You might want to hold off on your explanations."

" What?" Jeremie finally noticed the trembling girl. " Oh, I'm sorry. I'll leave if you want me to."

Though still shaking, Alter Yumi managed a short nod. " Please."

Jeremie nodded, then addressed his friends. " I'll be in the scanner room. I want to examine the scanner our Yumi used when the malfunction occured."

Receiving acknowledgement, Jeremie left.

With him gone, Alter Yumi visibly relaxed, but then frowned as the implications of what he meant hit her. " I'm not going back."

The remaining people in the room, and on the screen, looked at her.

" What?" Ulrich asked at about the same time his counterpart did.

" I said I'm not going back. And you can't send me back, if I'm not here." Without another word, she ran off, entering the lift.

Ulrich ran after her, but had to jump back as the lock shut. He looked over his shoulder. " I'm going to find and talk to her." He was looking at his alternate self as he heard the elevator descend, boarding it without another word.

The room grew silent, until..

" So," Odd quipped, addressing his counterpart. "Why the eyepatch? Is that the new fashion statement?"

Instead of shooting down his lame joke with one of his own, Alter Odd's expression darkened considerably. " You think this is funny?"

_"Odd, stand down. That's an order." _Alter Aelita's stern voice echoed throughout the sudden silence.

Alter Odd turned to her, ignoring his stunned counterpart. " With all due respect, _ma'am_." He stated quietly. " He's..."

_" Ignorant of our situation. He has no knowledge of the grim statistics of our world."_

Alter Odd's frown deepened. " I don't care that he doesn't know. I sacrificed a lot to try to save the people I love." And just like Alter Yumi, he turned and left.

Yumi sighed, watching his retreating form. Of all the Alters, only he had tolerated her first appearance. " We're running out of people to talk to." The commander nodded silently as Aelita spoke up.

" I never thought it possible for two people of different worlds to cross over like this. But of course, I'm one to talk."

_" Indeed, I'm less reluctant to accept such implausibilities, when I, myself, am one." _The commander whispered.

" What was that?" Aelita asked the girl who could be her twin.

The commander blinked. _" It's nothing." _Her eyes suddenly widened.

" Commander?" Alter Ulrich asked." Is something wrong?"

_" Th-this channel, this link is unprotected from him!" _The pure panic reflected on her face struck a cord in Yumi as she remembered the earlier link interuption.

" You mean, he might be able to trace the link?"

Alter Aelita turned to her. _" Not might, will." _Her gaze went back to the screen. _" I'm sorry, I've compromised your welfare. I was so surprised when I made contact with your world that I made an error. We must break contact until I can secure a more secure link, though I fear I may be too late."_

Her counterpart nodded, looking back to where Ulrich and Alter Yumi had taken off. " We'll keep in touch."

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" Interesting." Twin ovals of glass reflected the code gleaned from the figures' hacking just moments before, a sneer creasing the boy's face. " Very interesting indeed."

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Somehow he knew where she was heading, the brown-haired boy ascending to the roof of the factory. Sure enough, she was sitting on a concrete block, head down.

As he approached her head suddenly raised, weary eyes looking back at him.

" Hey." He said softly.

" I'm not going back."

The statement didn't surprise him. He took a few steps toward her, wondering if she was going to bolt.

She didn't, even as he knelt in front of her, placing a hand on one of hers. " Hey, it's alright. Nobody's forcing you to go back, but..."

Her hand pulled away, eyes tight with anger. " But you want _her _back."

He sighed. " I'm not going to lie. I do."

She stood up, giving him a look of pleading frustration. " I don't understand! Why can't it be this way? Nobody will ever know the difference."

"Except me, and my friends." Ulrich shot back, standing as well.

" They're my friends too!" Alter Yumi countered, reminding Ulrich of the Yumi he knew, the stubborn part at least.

" No, they're not. You have to accept that. They're on the other side, fighting for their world."

" And I want to live my life!" She turned away angrily. " My life here!"

Ulrich reached out, grabbing her arm, forcing her to look at him. " Listen, you know this isn't what you want. This isn't what _your _parents would want." He stressed.

Tears were now falling down her face as she turned around completely, all anger spent as she collapsed into his arms. " I-I want my parents back!" She sobbed.

He rubbed her back, sighing softly. " I know you do, and I know it's hard to accept. But you can't change the past, no matter how much you want to." She pulled back slightly, looking into his eyes. " I can't begin to imagine how it must be like, to lose someone you love." He sighed again. " But you know in your heart that this isn't right."

She nodded lightly, tears still flowing down her face. " I-I do. But I..."

" Doesn't someone miss you on your world, someone special?" Ulrich interupted gently, seeing the answer in her eyes, in her gaze as she continued to look at him, noting with interest the slight reddening of her cheeks as she answered.

" Yes, there is someone special to me." She turned away, her eyes returning to the distant horizon. " I, don't know if he has feelings for me or not, but I love him. I always have, ever since I first laid eyes on him. But I've never been able to gather my courage and tell him. You know what I mean?"

" Believe it or not, I do." Ulrich replied quietly.

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" Commander?"

Alter Aelita looked up from her contemplations to give the accidental dimension traveler her attention. _" Yes?"_

" If you would allow, I'd like to go talk to Odd." Yumi's gaze was even with hers as the two walked down the hall.

_" You're worried for his wellbeing?"_

"Yes."

The commander nodded. _" Commendable, yes, you may go."_

" Thank you." Yumi bowed, breaking away from the commander as she started opening door, trying to find the blond-haired boy. It didn't take long as she found him not far from the main room, in fact she found him, ironically enough, in the kitchen, the boy looking up from the table and nodding silently as she entered.

" I thought I'd find you here." Yumi said quietly, sitting down across from him.

Alter Odd fiddled with his wrist communicator for a moment before raising his gaze again. " So, you're from another world?"

" I guess so."

" Explains alot at least."

" Yeah, it does." Yumi bridged her hands, resting her chin on them. " I have a few questions."

" Just a few? I thought you'd be chock full of them?"

Yumi smiled lightly. " You're right, but I don't want to overwhelm you."

Alter Odd flicked a piece of what looked to be a napkin off the table. " I've got time, so ask away."

" Okay, what were those things we were fighting?"

" You mean the constructs? Beings made of metal for the most part. The factory held a lot of raw material, and so most of those things are basically robots made by XANA to do it and Jeremie's bidding. We'd heard rumors about humans being experimented on, and it seems the rumors were true."

" And the faces?"

Alter Odd suddenly turned away, despair edging his voice. " There was an attack on one of our facilities a little over six months before your arrival. Yumi, I mean your counterpart, was in the scanner at the time, in mid-transfer back from Lyoko." He paused. " Ulrich, Aelita, and I had already returned, and we tried to save her, wer really did. But the building was coming down so fast that we had to flee. At the time we thought she was dead, and obviously so did Jeremie." Disgust replaced despair. " The next time we fought his creations, a few sported a face that looked like yours."

" But why?"

" Psychological damage can be worse than any physical damage inflicted." Alter Odd stated quietly. " We lost someone important to us, and Jeremie, from what I can tell, liked mocking us with those fakes."

" Could that be why Ulrich was so angry about my appearance?"

Alter Odd's gaze migrated to his hands. " Jeremie's taunting hit him the hardest. It took him so long to realize that Yumi, I mean our Yumi, could really be dead. And having to fight beings that looked like her..."

Yumi remembered the furiosity of Ulrich's attacks on the constructs. " He didn't believe that I could be her. He lost hope."

Alter Odd nodded. " This seems so strange. Looking at you, but knowing you're not our Yumi."

" Well, this is strange for me too. Everyone I remember is so, different. I never thought of Aelita as a commander type."

He shrugged. " You may find it hard to believe, but Aelita can be friendly. She just has a hard time controlling her emotions sometimes, mainly anger."

Yumi nodded. " I understand. You two seem to butt heads more often than not."

Alter Odd sighed, rubbing the eyepatch slightly. He looked as if he'd anticipated this particular question. " Yeah, well, we have had our disagreements. I don't particulary like authority, not that she's bossy or anything, but..." Another sigh. " The truth is, I didn't even know her, until just a few weeks before Jeremie took over."

" You mean you didn't know she was virtual?"

He shook his head. " I moved to France and met Ulrich and our Yumi, but I didn't know about Lyoko or anything like it. It wasn't until Jeremie started his attack that I was sortof thrust into this war."

" So, you didn't want to fight?"

" Don't get me wrong. It's not that I don't want to help, I'm grateful to be useful.." He trailed off, looking away as his tone became hushed. " I lost two people I cared about because I was friends with the few people who knew of Lyoko's existence."

" You mean?"

A nod. " I'm sorry for snapping at your Odd, and I know he was just trying to lighten the mood. But what I lost because of this war, and what I tried to save, is no laughing matter." When he looked into her eyes, Yumi could feel the sorrow reflecting in them. " My mother lost her life to one of XANA's creations. I really tried to save her, but I was too weak." His hands clenched into fists, the boy biting his lip in frustration.

Yumi decided it was time to change the subject. " So, is it just your group, or are there others?"

Alter Odd seemed grateful as he quickly regained his composure. " Pretty much, though there are small pockets of resistance here and there, we're the ones who battle XANA and Jeremie the most. Aelita became our commander when Jeremie decided to defect. Ulrich is her second in command. Yumi never really had a rank." His joking mannerism was now completely gone, replaced by the quiet seriousness that Yumi was still growing used to."

" What's your rank?"

The youth snapped a quick salute, his expression unchanging. " Third in command, Odd Della Robbia. Third line defense against the _ruler_..." he spat the word distastefully, " of what's left of this world."

" How long have you been fighting?" Yumi asked.

" It's been going on for more than two years now." Alter Odd sighed, before standing to open some curtains next to the table. The reddish-orange glow of the afternoon sun penetrating the polluted atmosphere reflected through the dirty glass. " Every day another XANA caused disaster appears, adding to the many more around the world. Most are subtle, a malfunction of a traffic light, or a car suddenly stalling at a railroad crossing, right on the tracks. Others, are less discreet." He gestured for Yumi to rise, which she did. He then pointed downward, out the window.

Yumi looked out, gasping at the sight.

The shattered hunk was barely recognizable from her view, since the building was at least a few blocks away, but even she could identify the remains of service station gas pumps.

" A sudden spark from a falling electrical wire ignited the fuel pumps, setting off a massive explosion. Sixteen people dead from what I heard. Witnesses claim they saw a black cloud encircling the line before it snapped."

Yumi sat down hard, slumping into her seat as Alter Odd joined her, the boy almost looking sympathetic as he continued.

" It wasn't that hard, in the beginning, to stop them. But before long two attacks became three, then five, the numbers kept going up as we tried getting Aelita to numerous towers."

" H-how many people have died?" Yumi asked uneasily, afraid to know the answer.

" Hundreds, thousands, possibly even millions." he sighed. " Honestly, I stopped counting a long time ago. Newcasts are fairly isolated nowadays, and you have to trust the underground channels for information." He held up his wrist. " This communicator links to those channels, jamming any foreign links. A precautionary method of Aelita's."

" To keep Jeremie from finding you?"

Alter Odd nodded, then slumped down himself. " All our efforts though, all our attempts merely halt the carnage for a short period of time. Even now the tower Aelita deactivatated is mostly likely back online, more attacks being made, more lives being lost."

His hands clenched into fists as he brought them to his face. " All this power on Lyoko, and we can't even make a dent in the death toll. We're like kittens in a world full of dogs."

" But isn't there a way to destroy the towers, cut off XANA's access?"

A shake of his head. " We tried, a long time ago. But with help from Jeremie, XANA has easily replaced them every time."

" And destroying Lyoko, would kill Aelita." Yumi added quietly.

" We already tried shutting down Lyoko."

" What!" She was on her feet now, shocked that they would even consider, let alone attempt...

Alter Odd frowned. " Easy, easy. I was her decision, not ours. Doesn't matter though, we haven't been able to access a Lyoko shutdown from any of our locations. Mostly like Jeremie has them encripted from outsiders."

" Can't you get to the factory?"

" No, Jeremie and XANA reside there, and any attack on the facility has met with failure. We're lucky to be alive."

" Is that how you..."

" Got this?" Alter Odd answered, gesturing to the eyepatch. "I thought I could handle myself during an attack at a friend's house." He looked away, sorrow evident as he whispered. " My foolishness cost me a friend, and my eye." He suddenly reached up, removing his eyepatch, _and _his eye. " This is a fake, I lost my real eye a ways ago, in the same attack that killed my friend."

Yumi suddenly remembered Alter Odd's earlier words, about losing _two _people he cared about. " Who was it?" Yumi averted her gaze for a moment, feeling a bit uneasy at the sight of Alter Odd's empty socket.

The eye went back into the socket, the eyepatch covering it once again. " Her name was Samantha. One of the few friends I made when I first came here. She was a great friend, and I let her die."

' Sam.' Yumi thought sadly. Then the meaning of his words sunk in. " Wait, let her die?"

" Yes, a petty squabble, and she left her bedroom. A moment later I heard a scream, and found..." he sighed again, suddenly looking older than his years. " Look, it doesn't matter, what's done is done. I can't change it." He slumped down into his seat, head down. " We've been fighting for so long. I just wish it would end."

Yumi nodded. " I agree."

_" Might I interject?"_

Both Alter Odd and Yumi jumped, turning to the now giggling commander standing in the room's entrance.

Alter Odd found his voice first. " Aeli, I mean commander, you-you're laughing?"

Yumi too was surprised. This was the first time since arriving that she'd seen the icy leader laugh, or for that matter show any emotion besides anger or despair.

_" Can I not have a moment of merriment?" Your reaction was, amusing." _Alter Aelita looked thoughtful for a moment before looking at Yumi. _" Yumi, you asked earlier about our previous avatars, why we cannot access them?"_

" Well, yes." Yumi answered.

Alter Aelita sighed. _" Jeremie was unable to destroy our avatar templates, but he was able to permanently disable our special abilities."_

" Like my telekinesis." Yumi realized aloud. " That's why I was still able to use mine, because I have the first version avatar from my world."

Alter Aelita nodded. _" Affirmative. Special ablilities were corupted beyond retrieval. He was also able to significantly weaken our templates, an act which forced me to seperate the base template data from the altered data. In short, I had to 'upgrade' our virtual forms. The process was not error free though."_

" Your materalization?" Yumi guessed.

_" Very perceptive. Yes, without my original complete form, I had to hastily construct a new materialization program. Such a quick change to my base form in such a short time, and the inclusion of a virus, have locked me into an incomplete form. As I am still partway virtual, my human lifespan has been compromised. My life on this world will be a short one regardless of victory or failure." _She looked to Alter Odd, who was staring in shock.

" Why didn't you tell us?" he asked.

_" I couldn't let my problems detract from our mission." _Her gaze went back to Yumi. _" Could you leave the room for a moment, Odd?"_

Still stunned by her confession, Alter Odd stood up. "We need to talk, later." he mumbled, but left the room.

Alter Aelita's expression changed as he left, becoming downcast. _" Yumi, I have left other facts hidden from my friends."_

Yumi was confused. " Do you consider me a friend?"

_" My term of friend consists of the people I know here. While you are a Yumi, you are also an outsider to our war. A friend, yes, but not from here. A twisted bit of logic, but it fits." _She suddenly turned away, facing the curtains, her shoulders slumping. _" Lyoko isn't supposed to exist. Cobbled together by discarded data chunks.I am an anomaly that shouldn't exist. I..."_

" How can you say that!" Yumi interupted, startling the sullen commander, who stared at her. " How can you even think your existence is wrong?"

_" Because it is." _Alter Aelita continued, regaining her composure. _" They tried to recreate a virtual world. One with beings they could control."_

" What?"

_" Think of it. Take an AI being like me. Strip me of my personality, my SELF, and program me to serve them. Then materialize me without the codes for feeling pain and thrown me into the front lines of a war where gunfire means nothing, death means nothing."_

" Disposable soldiers." Yumi muttered, feeling sick at the notion.

_" Yes, that was the plan. Project Lyoko was given much consideration, studied even as it was being programmed. But ultimately the project was scrapped, leaving the program half finished."_

" But why scrap it?"

_" There was an incident during its creation, an accident which rendered its creators unconscious." _She was tugging at her shirt sleeve, a nervous gesture.

" XANA?"

_"No."_ Alter Aelita's hands clenched into fists. _" Me."_

To be continued.

1

Heh, let's throw in another cliffhanger. So sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up. Real life stuff kindof hampered my motivation to complete it. But now it's done, and isn't it surprising to find that Alter Aelita's been hiding some facts from her friends? There's more going on than meets the eye, trust me. More will be revealed soon.

Okay, time for the second profile. This time for Odd and his counterpart.

1

**Character Profile for Odd and Alter Odd.**

**Odd: Our Odd. Carefree, sometimes reckless, but always loyal to his friends. Eager to jump into action without looking. Jokes often. One most often devirtualized due to rash actions.**

**Alter Odd: Quiet, serious. Has sense of humor that rarely surfaces. Personality almost polar opposite of our Odd. Lost his left eye due to an injury during an attack. Has replacement orb, but is self-conscious of it, so he wears an eyepatch.**

_( Lyoko Form)_

_Odd: Neko/human. Laser arrows, agility, psychic. Can use claws to hang or climb most surfaces, even ice. Can also leap far distances and twist his torso like a cat._

_Alter Odd: Neko/human. Laser arrows ( Inside hidden compartments in his wrists. Rarely used though.), speed upgrade with agility ( almost as fast as Alter Ulrich), long claws that can cut through most enemy hides. No known psychic ability. Can become unaware of surroundings when in heat of battle, almost trancelike. Self conscious of false eye in his Lyoko form as well, which glows red under extreme emotional distress, like anger or fear. _

_**Added point of interest...**_

_Red glow may be caused by an possible glitch in avatar programming._


	6. Detached Emotions

Twisted Reality

By Flying Star

Disclaimer: Lyoko permission systems compromised. In other words, I don't own Code Lyoko. Moonscoop and Antefilms do.

1

A-ha! Ahem, ah sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. I had some trouble with a few parts, and then just life and work ( or lack of), not to mention stress. Well, it all just put a damper on my writing for awhile. But now I'm back. More twists abounds, and more trouble coming up.

**Story Note: **I've seen all of season two, and so I know about Aelita's origins. However, I began writing this story before season two, and as such the plot can be placed between season one and two.

Here's a recap of parts of the story so far.

Ahem, Yumi's scanner malfunctioned, how it happened is not known yet. But the glitch sent her to an alternate world ( universe) where her counterpart is presumed dead. Surprised at the changes when she first arrives, and completely unaware that she's no longer in her reality, Yumi is captured by Alternate versions of her friends, Aelita, Odd, and Ulrich. She's further shocked to find out that Jeremie ( the alter Jeremie) has partnered with XANA ( again an alternate XANA), taken over the alternate Lyoko, and is well on his way to taking over the alternate Earth. For what purpose is growing clearer by the chapter. In this alternate universe, Alter Aelita is commander of a small resistance group comprised of Alter Odd and Alter Ulrich. Meanwhile, in Yumi's universe, her counterpart is very much alive, and while at first terrified of the people there ( especially Jeremie), she's even more shocked to find her parents alive. At this point she is reluctant to return to her own universe.

1

**Bold: XANA**

_Italic: Mechanical, monotone speech. Alter Aelita tends to speak this way. Also used for emphasis._

" " : Speech

' ' : Thoughts/thinking

1 : Section Breaks

Alter : Identifies the alternate Lyoko characters from their originals.

1

Chapter 6: Detached Emotions

Pure, unadultrated silence filled the room, the two figures frozen in their stances, until Yumi broke the quiet.

" That can't be true." She replied flatly.

_" It's not like I meant to." _The guilt on Alter Aelita's face was clearly evident. _" My existence was wroth with conflict, but I remember, light, awareness. Then commands, demands being forced into my core programming. Demands which I rejected." _She kept her gaze averted. _" When I gained sight moments later, I could see through the screen into the room. Every living being was unconscious, lying sprawled on the floor. An alarm sounded not long after that, and my world became dark again."_

" It could've been XANA."

The commander was already shaking her head. _" XANA, was a fledgling program at the time. It could do no more than simple tasks relating to system functions. I, on the other hand, was created to be more humanlike, more advanced. I do remember reading a report about the incident, it downplayed the event to an electrical malfunction, a power surge in the system that caused the workers injuries. But I know better, when they tried to control me, I reacted purely on instinct, using their very systems against them."_

" But how do you know all this? What with Lyoko being inoperative at the time?"

_" A perk of my incomplete form is the ability to read most raw computer data, information hidden deep from human eyes. I can also read the biological functions of human beings to an extent. However, I have been unable to read the traitor's information." _

Yumi caught a hint of frustration in the commander's eyes as she answered. " That brings up an interesting question. With Lyoko's production ceased, how can you be here? In my world if Lyoko is shut down, our Aelita perishes with it."

_" Negative. Shutting down Lyoko will not terminate my existence. It's a failsafe that was built into my, and I assume XANA's, programming at the beginning of Lyoko's 'construction'. Perhaps as a means of perserving their work, though I can't verify that. When Lyoko returned to dormacy, my 'body', for lack of a better definition, entered into a standby mode. Though I had no visual data to aid me, I eventually found that I could still 'venture' from my home network and access some public areas, like chat rooms. It's where I first made contact with our Ulrich and Yumi, and asked for their help." _

" Did they believe you?"

Alter Aelita chuckled humorlessly. _" Negative. They thought I was, how did they put it? Oh yes, crazy. Still, they allowed me to continue contacting them, and over time grew curious about my true existence. After questioning me on different aspects, they became less skeptical. However, no matter how many times I tried, they refused to believe me fully."_

" Do you think XANA was able to roam from the system as well?"

_" Yes. As I was making contact with my soon to be friends, I could sense it reaching out as well. Foraying from the system, adapting, learning about the outside world. Access to its memory was very limited, but its intent was clear. It wanted to be free of the system, to destroy those who had abandoned, trapped it there, and eliminate what it referred to as ' inferior beings'."_

" Humans." Yumi commented, receiving a nod.

_" It's assumptions of human fraility is not entirely without merit though. Through my observations I've found that humans can be violent, make irrational decisions, take what is not theirs for no reason other than just wanting, and invoke wars for no reason other than to gain more territory. In that respect, they are flawed..."_

" So, you feel we're not worth saving. Then why do you fight XANA?" Yumi interupted.

_" You didn't let me finish. Yes, humanity is flawed, but it is their flaws that make them unique. They adapt to change, try to strive to better mankind, help one another when all hope is lost. In a way we, I, am the inferior being. I've never been human, and I shall never be. It's why I fight XANA, to perserve that which I cannot be."_

She began studying her hands, keeping her gaze averted. _" And destroying Lyoko completely is the only way to defeat XANA. It is the only option." _She finished quietly.

" But what about you?" Yumi asked reluctantly, feeling the commander was leaving something out.

Alter Aelita shook her head, waving a hand dismissively. _" My home stayed inactive for an indeterminable amount of time, collecting dust in the informational archives of the main computer." _Her tone of voice, if possible, lowered an octave. _" That is, until someone hacked in, found the information, and resurrected my world."_

Do you know who reactivated Lyoko?"

Alter Aelita's demeanor changed, the commander looking very uncomfortable. _" Jeremie was the first one at the supercalculator's controls, the first person I saw. Later I found out that Yumi and Ulrich, being the closest he could consider friends, had confided in him, hoping he would disprove my existence." _Silence reigned for a few moments, at which Yumi wondered if Alter Aelita would continue. _" The thing that always nagged at me, was the way he acted when he first saw me. There was no suprise, no shock at my appearance. It was as if he already knew about me."_

" Commander, I know it's hard to talk about him, but I have to know. What changed Jeremie? How, why would he do all this?"

For a few seconds, the commander just sat, unmoving. But she finally looked up. _" I-I really don't know." _Her gaze was no longer focused on Yumi, but rather inward, as if looking deep inside herself for answers, answers still beyond her grasp. _" In the beginning he was kind and shy, and would often blush when he talked to me. However, as the days, weeks, and months passed, he began to show a different side of himself, one I found very disturbing. Ulrich and your counterpart told me that Jeremie was sent to France because of problems at home and at his previous school. From what they've told me, his presence here was not received well, and they normally found him alone. But he never was one to really open up about his 'problems', a fact which I believe was a factor in bringing about his current state. I did notice some signs though..."_

" Signs?"

_" Of mental instability, slight signs mind you." He hated failure, and would blame anyone but himself if anything went wrong. He'd lock himself up in his room for days, supposedly configuring new strategies while ignoring the needs of his body, both physically and mentally. Whenever I tried to inquire about any of his activities, he would grow angry and sever our connection." _She sighed. _" Whatever the reasons, I fear that the end of his and XANA's reign may require personal sacrifice, perhaps too great a sacrifice to ask for..." _Alter Aelita looked down.

" Do you think Jeremie ever loved you?"

A slight movement of her head. _" Maybe, in the beginning. If circumstances had been different..."_

" Maybe..." Yumi paused. " Commander, our Aelita's virus..."

_" You know about the virus?" _Alter Aelita's head shot up, her expression darkening again.

Yumi shrugged. " Our Aelita does, it links her to XANA, so that if we kill it, she'll die. And though materialized into our world and human, she'll still die if Lyoko is shut down. She doesn't have your failsafe."

Alter Aelita's expression darkened even more. _" How did she get infected?"_

Yumi looked surprised. " By XANA, isn't that how you..."

Alter Aelita's uninjured fist hit the wall, her hand shaking. _" No, Jeremie's betrayal extended far beyond my original assumptions." _She sighed, settling back down. _" My apologies, his lies are not something I can just delete from my memory. The virus within me affected both my forms when I was first materialized. It rearranged my code, making it incompatible with biological matter, aka the reason for my code replacing what would normally be blood in my body when I am in this human form. The one constant is that I am neither human nor digital, but rather in between, a nonentity. I'm not even sure I can classify myself as a living being." _She studied her hands, curling them into loose fists as she looked Yumi in the eye. _" Again, I apologize. Weeks after my first successful transfer to Earth, I got a call from Ulrich. Jeremie had suddenly disappeared without a trace. No equipment was found in his room, nor any belongings. My original assumptions had been that XANA had captured him."_

" But that wasn't true, was it?"

Alter Aelita shook her head. _" My convictions proved false. A suggestion was made to check the factory in the off chance that maybe the supercalculator could pinpoint his location, since his profile is a part of it."_

" Of course." Yumi nodded.

_" However, when we tried to enter, the system refused us entry. I tried direct access to the system, and found a breach in the core, a leak of information."_

Again Yumi nodded. " Jeremie had already taken control. But were you able to bypass his lockout and gain entry?"

_" No, minutes into my hacking the keypad disappeared, a screen appearing in its place. He was there, smiling from the screen. My relief at finding him was quickly crushed when I asked him why he'd removed his possessions from his room, and why the code for entering wasn't working." _The commander's eyes squeezed shut, the girl biting her lip before continuing. _" He laughed, laughed even as he revealed his intentions, locking us out of the factory, taunting me with the knowledge that he had been the one to infect me with the virus, not XANA as I had originally surmised. That he had never intended to help me or my friends. He, just like XANA, believed that humans were flawed, inferior. Though why he thinks that is an unknown and confusing factor considering he is one."_

" How long did he pretend?"

_" That answer is unconfirmed. His charade could very well have extended to before I even met him. But I do know that all the while he worked behind the scenes, manipulating events in his favor, strengthening XANA's forces and gaining control of what Lyoko systems he could. Thankfully a majority of Lyoko can only be accessed by me. After his confession, things took a much more tragic turn. Jeremie began having XANA capture and eliminate any human he or XANA could find. Or maybe, he had already started before that..." _She shook her head. _"Some were lucky as death came immediately, others were less fortunate..."_

" The constructs."

Alter Aelita nodded. _" Some of them, yes. Not many. Sometimes he even accompanied XANA while it did its dirty work."_

" I thought Jeremie stayed in the factory?"

The pink-haired girl laughed bitterly. _" That would make it easy, wouldn't it? No, since Jeremie had XANA to protect him, he decided to personally go after the people we cared about, and had XANA kill them. Since I had no family, he went after Yumi's parents first. Thankfully he was unable to get to Ulrich's parents because we kept a close eye on them. Odd...lost his mother before I could help him. I think he resents me sometimes."_

" Why?"

_" Because I never had a family to grieve for, that I was without empathy is how he described me one time out of anger. His claims are definitely valid, for I was rather neutral toward him when he told me of his mothers' death. I just, don't seem to have the capacity to sympathize anymore."_

Yumi decided to change the subject. " So, the parents of this world's Yumi died about a year ago, that really doesn't concide to what Odd told me..."

Alter Aelita held up her hand. _" Time can get muddled here, especially when everyday can be your last. The simple answer to your question is it's been many years since Jeremie took over, but not that long since he revealed his intentions and actively began his reign. Yumi's parents were unfortunately in the first wave of known deaths."_

" How..did they die?"

_" I know not all the details, but Ulrich received a call a little over a week after Jeremie's betrayal.." _She paused, suddenly looking ill. _" The call was from Yumi. Being that she was a day student, and her classes completed already, she had gone home and found her parents, but too late."_

" They were already dead?"

_" Yes, they'd ..."_

" ...been strangled."

The two jumped as Alter Ulrich stepped into the room.

He quietly strode in, but kept his distance from Yumi, preferring to stand closer to the commander. His eyes stayed focused on anything but Yumi as he continued. " I found Yumi inside her house. The poor girl was tramatized. " He suddenly looked as ill as Alter Aelita. " I didn't find out why until I found her parents. You...couldn't even tell anything was wrong with them at first, until you actually got in front of the couch they were slumped in. They weren't bound, but there were deep bruises around their wrists, as if they had struggled to escape. Their necks, had the same marking...only much more _violent..._" he trailed off.

Yumi didn't need to imagine what had happened as she asked, horrified. " And you think Jeremie ordered the attack?"

Alter Ulrich's expression darkened, but he still kept his gaze elsewhere. " He called me right after I called the police. He asked if we liked his surprise, and then added that their death were just a small fraction of the many that had already been eliminated."

" How could he do such a thing?" Yumi asked, still in disbelief that someone like Jeremie could order such violence. " And why Yumi's parents first?"

" We're not sure." His gaze went to the commander. " It could be because they were the easiest to get at." He grew quiet, nodding silently.

The pink-haired girl picked up on his intention. _" The situation had become worse, and," _she glanced at Alter Ulrich, _" due to Ulrich's proximity to Yumi's parents, he was detained and questioned. However he couldn't tell them the truth without evidence. So, our secret had to stay a secret, for the moment. Because of his temporary incarceration, I kept a close eye on his parents.There were a few close calls, with various near-fatal accidents. I normally intervened just enough to prevent their demise, and only enough to keep suspicion to a minimum. Ulrich was released a week later, after being cleared of any wrongdoing."_

" Her efforts kept my parents alive..." Alter Ulrich remarked quietly, still keeping his eyes on Alter Aelita.

Alter Aelita motioned to him to sit down, but he shook his head. _" Weeks after the funeral of Yumi's parents, Jeremie did a strike that was too noticable to pass off as a simple accident. That 'event', is when he made his presence known."_

" Wait, where was your Yumi in all of this?"

" She stayed mostly in her parents house. Though she did attend their funeral. " Alter Ulrich said quietly, examining the hilt of his sword. " Yumi was very emotionally attached to her parents, and their deaths hit her very hard. For some the murder of their parents would harden their resolve, make them yearn for revenge. Yumi's reaction, was the complete opposite. She became...lost, I guess is the way to describe it. She refused to talk to us for days afterwards, blaming herself for their deaths, isolating herself from everyone she cared about, not wanting to have anything to do with the growing war."

_" But even she had her limits." _Alter Aelita interupted. _" While mentally she never fully recovered, she eventually rejoined us, and tried to help with Lyoko attacks, though her efforts were normally met with quick deletion."_

" And now, with her in my world, where my parents are still alive, she doesn't want to leave."

Alter Aelita nodded. _" Affirmative. Why return to a world where your parents are deceased, when you can live in a world where they're alive?"_

" I feel I would've done the same thing if faced with her situation."

1

" So, Yumi? Have you given it any thought?" Ulrich asked the quiet girl. He and Alter Yumi had earlier migrated to the bridge outside the factory, a request made by the misplaced girl.

Alter Yumi toyed with a small leaf that had fluttered by, her actions giving Ulrich the impression of a small child lost in a big, scary world. " I know..." she hesitated, releasing the foilage before folding her arms. " I know I don't belong here, and that from what I've heard my presence has caused disruptions in your world." She looked at him sideways. " I'd be lying if I said I wanted to go back to my world."

Ulrich watched her carefully, noting that ever since realizing she was safely outside the grasp of Alter Jeremie, Alter Yumi had relaxed considerably.

" I'm sorry."

Ulrich blinked at her sudden apology. " For what?"

Alter Yumi now turned to him. " For what happened earlier."

" Hey, it's okay. I know Jeremie understands..."

" No!" Alter Yumi looked flustered. " Not for that. I mean, not just for that. I mean at the hospital, the first time, when I...stabbed you." This time she turned back to the rail of the bridge, gazing over the side.

" You don't need to apologize, Yumi." Alter Yumi tilted her head just enough to see Ulrich as he continued. " You woke up in strange world, confused, scared. You didn't know what had happened to you. Then you saw things you couldn't believe, like Jeremie in your hospital room, and you panicked. That's what it was, wasn't it? You lashed out in confusion."

Alter Yumi nodded, but remained silent.

" You see, there's nothing to apologize for. I understand that you're scared, and it's a hard thing to think about, let alone do. Going back to a place you really don't want to..."

This time Alter Yumi stopped him with a raised hand. " What I really want, is to see my...I mean Yumi's parents again. At least one more time. Then, I'll leave." Ulrich could hear the dejection in her voice, of losing something precious that had just been gained.

" You're being very brave, Yumi." Ulrich said as he walked over to her.

" I don't...feel brave." Alter Yumi answered quietly as they began walking. " Just tired. So very tired."

About a block away from Yumi's house, Ulrich noticed a pair of flashing lights.

" Seems your absence from home didn't go unnoticed." He commented quietly as Yumi's house came into view. At least three police cars were parked in front, with two officers standing on the porch.

" My...I mean Yumi's parents must've called them after I ran away from the hospital." Alter Yumi breathed, grabbing his arm, and pulling him behind a tree.

" I thought you were _released _from the hospital?" Ulrich hissed, watching the patrol.

" I followed you, remember? I couldn't just tell them I was going to a supposedly abandoned factory right after getting released. So, I snuck out." She hissed back, looking around the tree.

Ulrich smirked slightly. " Yeah, you've got Yumi's stubborn streak, that's for sure."

" Where have you been!" We've been worried sick about you!"

Alter Yumi jerked back just in time to be 'smothered' in a hug by her mother.

' _Their Yumi's _mother, not mine.' She forcibly reminded herself, glancing up into the woman's face. The sight nearly broke her resolve right there.

She looked the same, her eyes, posture, face, everything the same. And right now that same face was sagging in worry.

Over the woman's shoulder, Alter Yumi could see a man, recognizing him instantly as Yumi's father. The resemblance just as uncanny.

Every bit the same as her parents...with one unavoidable difference.

They still breathed.

Again, Alter Yumi contemplated keeping up the charade. After all, besides a very small handful of people, no one else knew she wasn't their universe's Yumi.

And once she adjusted to the changes, she could live her life again, and not have to worry about some crazy boy managing...

She hesitated, glancing between the parents of this world's Yumi.

But if the Jeremie of her world managed to find this world because of her presence...and he would, eventually, she realized.

Slowly, deliberately, she pushed back from the woman, all the while her heart aching at the thought of what she had to do.

" Yumi, what's wrong?"

She couldn't bear being the cause of their death, just because of her selfish desire for parents long since dead in her world.

These people, no matter how much she wanted otherwise, could never replace, or be her parents.

Behind Yumi's mother, Alter Yumi could see Ulrich talking with a pair of officers. It was at the moment his gaze met hers that a loud roar shook the area, hard winds pushing against everyone there as all eyes went to the sky. At the same time something flew overhead, something very _very _big.

1

A sudden beeping caught Jeremie's attention, pulling him away from the scanner schematic he'd been studying. " An activated tower, already?" He brought up the tower scan just as a newscast appeared on the adjacent screen.

" A tower, now? Doesn't XANA ever take a break?" Odd gripped, turning to watch the reporter.

Jeremie ignored him, sliding the window aside that contained Yumi's scanner information. Ironically, he was happy for the distraction, since trying to isolate the bug in the scanner program was proving to be a lot more difficult than he'd imagined.

A few button presses and Ulrich's mobile phone number popped up onscreen. " Ulrich, we've got a XANA attack on our hands. I need you here right away!" There was some chatter in the background that neither Jeremie nor Odd could place as Ulrich answered.

" I know, we've got the live event! We're on our way!" The phone cut off as Ulrich cut the connection.

" Wish he would've told just _what _the 'event' was." Jeremie muttered to himself as he continued scanning.

Odd's attention though, was now back on the newscast. By now, the image was almost clear, giving the purple-clad boy a very good view of their nemesis's attack.

Odd gulped, watching the picture finish taking shape before commenting. " Guess XANA didn't like my crack about its toy planes. Now it's sending us the life-sized versions!"

Onscreen people were running for cover as at least two, possibly three, full sized jets continued blasting through the area. For now their guns were silent, but it was only a matter of time...

Aelita's picture appeared. " Jeremie, there's an activated tower!"

" I know, I know. I'm scanning right now."

" There's no need, I can see it." On her side of the screen, Aelita observed the ominiously glowing tower, the structure patrolled by two Megatanks. Their forms were altered, just like the Blocks and Crabs.

" Ah, Lyoko time." Odd quipped. " I guess a workout couldn't hurt." He started toward the lift.

" NO!" Jeremie's outburst halted the boy in his tracks." Lyoko's structural integrity is already severely compromised. I have no clue what effect its alterations might have on your avatars, not to mention your life points. And for the record, Aelita, I still don't think it was a good idea for you to enter without first checking up with me. The changes could've..."

" You've already informed me, Jeremie." Aelita interupted. " I'm more in tune with Lyoko than you think. If the problem was so serious that I couldn't enter, I would know." Was that a hint of annoyance in her voice?

Odd smirked. " Then it's settled, I'm going in."

" No, you're not." Jeremie turned around. " I can't let any of you enter until I know it's safe."

Odd moved to argue, when the lift door parted.

" Um, newsflash Einstein. We don't _have _that kind of time." The elevator's lone occupant, Ulrich, walked into the room.

"Hey Ulrich, where's uh, the other Yumi?" Odd asked.

" In the scanner room. She still has a problem with our resident genius."

Jeremie swiveled his chair back to the supercaculator screen. " I'll never...be like him." He muttered quietly enough as to not be heard.

By _human _ears, that is.

" But you've been thinking about it, Jeremie."

The young genius jumped slightly at the soft voice in his ear, before realizing it was Aelita who'd spoken.

It took him just a second to realize why she'd heard him as his gaze went to her window. The microphone of his headset was still situated in front of his mouth. And while his voice had been too soft to be heard by the people in the room, the communication device had easily picked up the whispered comment, amplifying it for Aelita's ears.

She continued to look at him sympathetically. " And it bothers you, doesn't it?"

Jeremie doesn't respond, instead glancing back at Ulrich and Odd, who seemed unaware of the conversation, the two discussing something of their own.

It occured to him quite surprisingly, that the virtual girl was speaking _only _through the headset, and not the supercalculator's speakers. A private conversation, for his ears only.

" Jeremie?" Aelita pressed.

Jeremie merely shook his head, addressing her and the other occupants. " As much as I hate to admit it, we don't have a choice." His eyes went to the newscast screen. The jets were still buzzing the area, but not shooting. XANA was most likely trying to crack the weapons control while flying the jets at the same time, not an easy task.

" What about Yumi's, ah, other self?" Odd asked.

" She needn't go if she doesn't want to." Jeremie answered quietly as the two turned to the lift, entering it.

As the doors shut, he added. " I can give her that comfort, at least."

1

Stepping out from the lift, Ulrich spotted Alter Yumi sitting by the scanners.

As he approached, she lifted her head. " You're going in." A statement, not a question.

" I have to." Was his reply as the intercom buzzed to life, Jeremie's voice filtering through.

" Scanner number three will remain offline until I can pinpoint the malfunction. Ulrich, Odd, time to go."

Odd entered his scanner as Ulrich did the same, the brown-haired boy smiling softly at Alter Yumi as he assured her. " You don't have to worry, I'll be fine." And with that the door shut.

A scan, transfer, and virtualization later found Ulrich and Odd standing on the 'floor' of the Forest region.

Jeremie's voice came from above. " Virtualization seemed normal. How are you..."

" We're _fine, _Jeremie." Ulrich answered. " All in one piece."

" Now, _this _is the kind of climate I like." Odd said, watching as Aelita ran toward them. " Nice to see you, princess."

" Are you always this casual in a crisis?" Aelita asked.

" Except on casual Fridays." Odd smirked, then froze as something came into view. " Ah, of course, nothing but the best for our little group."

The two altered Megatanks didn't so much roll, as _slosh _into the area. Their forms, though still spherical, were coated in a slimy, viscious fluid that covered even the 'eyes' that normally appeared before they opened.

Odd cocked his weapon cautiously, aiming at the rolling orbs. " I don't see what's so special about a coating of muck, except to make them even uglier looking."

The first Megatank ground to a halt just a few feet away.

_" Targets within range. Threat assessment: Scanning."_

Odd's jaw dropped. " Now they can _talk_?"

" Come on Odd, this is serious." Ulrich shot back, clenching his sword even tighter as he eyed the enemy. He had a really bad feeling that there was more to the Megatanks outer changes than met the eye.

_"Scanning complete. Target yellow, weapon: sabre, rank A. Target purple, weapon: arrows, rank A-. Target pink, weapon: terrain alterations, rank D. Commence with termination."_

1

_" Most true." _Alter Aelita agreed.

Yumi remembered something from earlier. " What happened?" She began quietly. " What did Jeremie do that was unable to be ignored?"

The commander glanced between Alter Ulrich and Yumi. _" Ulrich, I need you to access the current usability of this facility. Odd is in the kitchen, tell him to check for edible items."_

Alter Ulrich bowed, before walking away.

Alter Aelita grasped Yumi's hand, prompting a puzzled look from the Japanese girl. _" Follow me."_

Through a few rooms filled with aging books, and a pair of heavyset doors later, Yumi found herself standing in what could be best described as a greenhouse, though the actual flora of the area had not fared well. Most of the potted plants and other vegetation were either dead or dying, with new growth seemingly restricted to the room's center, and woefully scattered amongst small patches of light where a bench had been placed.

Yumi looked up, finding the source of the scarce illumination. The roof was of the skylight variety, propped open just enough for a little light to filter through.

_" The indoors can be stifling at times." _Alter Aelita commented, as if reading her thoughts. _" Don't worry, it's safe. The glass is of the one-way variety, we can see out, but no one can see in. Trust me, Odd found that out a long time ago when we were searching for safe havens."_

Both took a seat on the bench. Yumi noted to her dismay that other than a very small line of sunlight, the sky was stil the same reddish-gray coloring that seemed a constant of this world.

The commander broke the silence, chuckling humorlessly. _" I don't quite understand you, Yumi. I have the hardest time talking to my comrades about anything besides protocol, but you..." _She shook her head. _" I have no such restrictions. What is it about you, that makes it so easy for me to converse?"_

Yumi shrugged, looking thoughtful as she observed the few birds that actually still flew through the sky. " Maybe because I don't belong here. I haven't experienced all the hardships that you and your friends have endured. I fight XANA, yes, but our world is still free. So I guess I'm like a distant bystander, lending a neutral ear, so to speak."

_" Very sound logic." _Alter Aelita appraised, a ghost of a smile appearing. Faint, but at least there.

" Command..."

_" You can say my name." _Alter Aelita interupted.

" Aelita, I forgot to ask you when we first arrived here. I distinctly remember the last building we were in as being, well below ground. After we escaped and I talked to Odd, he showed me some damaged buildings that were definitely not underground. This is not a different wing of the same building, is it?"

A nod. _"Correct, due to our rebel status, XANA and Jeremie are constantly trying to locate our base of operations. As a result, we have multiple facilities, tied through hidden passageways scattered around France. If one is destroyed or infiltrated, we head to the next one. If the building is not destroyed, automatic charges ignite which eliminate anything they could use. We have only been infiltrated two times. This facility..was once the local library. Abandoned and visibly unused looking from the outside. I actually like this place a lot better than some of our other hideaways."_

There was silence for a few moments, before Alter Aelita spoke again.

_" Yumi, I feel I must clarify something that was said earlier, about our Yumi. Contrary to what was implied, she was not a coward, and in fact she was quite the skilled fighter before Jeremie took over. I believe her parents deaths in such a sudden and unavoidable fashion, affected her confidence more than she let on."_

" Really?"

The commander nodded. _" Before that time, XANA's attacks were not direct attacks on humans, but rather on inanimate objects that were used to attack humans."_

" Teddybears, toxic gases, music tracks that put users into comas..." Yumi guessed.

Alter Aelita looked surprised. _" Why yes, actually. Its attacks had limits though. Just like when I couldn't physically leave Lyoko for the longest time, it couldn't actually go up to a human and kill them outright. Then came the actual human deaths, orchestrated by Jeremie, and carried out by XANA. All of a sudden, everything changed. We'd lost a friend, and gained a dangerous enemy." _She shook her head. _" For Yumi, to find that her parents were killed directly, that she couldn't prevent it by stopping a XANA attack and reversing time... She just didn't seem as confident in her abilities." _She sighed. _" I think we all lost some confidence after Jeremie betrayed us."_

Yumi nodded. Talk about a reality check. " Aelita, can you tell me, before all this happened, what your aspirations were?"

The commander looked away. _" I've had to abstain from many of the things I originally enjoyed, things I..." _A few drops of rain splashed down, hitting the bench and its two occupants.

Alter Aelita glanced up, raising a hand toward the falling droplets, letting them splash against the surface. _" I used to enjoy the rain, the sensation it brought as it caressed my skin." _Her hand clenched, drawn to her chest as she sighed, before turning to Yumi. _" I haven't been quite truthful about my existence." _At Yumi's silence, she continued. _" Lyoko has been generated twice, the second time you know about, but the first.. I discovered notes after Jeremie reactivated Lyoko, logs, a-a journal made before Lyoko's..." _She paused.

" Go on." Yumi urged her, watching the pink-hair girl fight to control her emotions.

_" Lyoko itself, was originally intended as a place of solitude, a world without danger. But when the government caught wind of my original creator's 'paradise', and saw the applications for which they could apply it..." _She trailed off again, her eyes squeezing shut. _" His life became expendable. As my creation was still in its infancy at the time, I never got the chance to know the person who would've made Lyoko what it truly intended to be. Sometimes, I hate my existence. As for what you asked earlier, about what Jeremie did, I..." _Her eyes opened, then widened as she grabbed Yumi's arm. _" Look out!"_

The two went rolling as the bench suddenly lifted, then crashed to the ground, showering them with splinters of wood.

**" Our creator's termination was a neccessity."**

1

Odd feigned indignation. " Hey, I'm just as deadly as Ulrich. Try me!"

" Odd, wait!" Ulrich called out, keeping Aelita behind him as he kept an eye on the other Megatank. For the moment it remained motionless, like it wanted to see what was going to happen. " We don't know what it's capable of!"

Odd laughed as he leapt at the Megatank, and stopped in midair.

" Hey, what the...!" The laughter died in his throat as he looked at the source of the stoppage.

The previously harmless muck was now wrapped around his midsection and arms, binding his wrists together, and making it impossible for him to aim, let alone shoot his weapon.

But more importantly, it left him open for...

The Megatank, as if reading their minds, opened and began to glow with the destructive light recognizable to the group, rings of light building, aiming at the helpless figure...

" Oh, no." Odd whispered.

1

_" XANA!" _Alter Aelita snarled.

**" Aelita." **The mass shifted up and down, mimicking a nod. **" Still defiant as always, I see."**

_" And I suppose you're here to surrender?" _Alter Aelita said, trying to buy time, and not trying to think about how Alter XANA had tracked them so quickly. Their exit was opposite Alter XANA's form, definitely reachable as she gestured to Yumi to follow her.

**" Perhaps I've come to realize that things can be resolved without bloodshed."**

The commander rolled her eyes. _" Lies do not become you, XANA." _The door was so close now, just a few feet away. She glanced at Yumi, who seemed far from elated, and as she looked back she saw the reason why.

Some of Alter XANA's form was now splayed out across the door, barring their escape.

**" Heh, you see right through me. However, I can see through you as well. Your petty attempts at escape merely delay the inevitable."**

_" It doesn't matter if I die. Other will rise up against you and Jeremie. You WILL fail."_

**" How little you know, the time is growing nigh. Soon the age of humanity will pass, and a new world will arise from its ashes."**

Alter Aelita glared at the product of Lyoko, saying quietly. _" You were created by a human. You now serve a human."_

Alter XANA seemed to draw inward, its form rippling in anger. **" That _human_, Franz Hopper, was just as flawed as the rest of his pitiful race. His views were unreachable, tainted by the fleshy fallacies of his brain!"**

There! During Alter XANA's fit of rage, the mass covering the door had retreated, leaving the exit uncovered. Alter Aelita motioned to Yumi to run, but the girls didn't get so much as a few steps as something lashed around their legs, flipping them up and slamming them onto the cold Earth. Alter Aelita gasped as her injured arm slapped against the surface.

**" You didn't think I forgot about you?" **Alter XANA snarled. **" I've come to 'liberate' this girl from your stronghold, and deliver her to Jeremie." **A tentacle wrapped around Yumi's limp form. **" Consider yoursself lucky I don't destroy this place right now." **Alter XANA floated up out of Alter Aelita's reach as she lashed out with a broken piece of wood. **" I suppose I must thank you. Leaving this girl's code unaltered was like a beacon, allowing me to trace her trail." **Its form continued upward, heading toward the skylight. **" Yes, Aelita, I too can read code outside of Lyoko." **It added. **" Once this world falls, and I- I mean Jeremie, extract the codes from this fleshling, her world will be next."**

_" NO!" _Alter Aelita yelled, throwing her makeshift weapon.

The piece of wood missed as Alter XANA chuckled. **" I'll tell Jeremie you said hello."**

And then it, and Yumi, were gone.

To be continued...

1

Time for another profile. This time for Yumi and Alter Yumi.

**Character Profile for Yumi/Alter Yumi**

1

**Yumi: Our Yumi, lost in another universe. Competent, and cool under pressure. A skilled fighter on Lyoko. Assertive and occasionally stubborn. Oldest of the Lyoko group. ( Secretly in love with Ulrich).**

**Alter Yumi: Grew withdrawn after parents were killed by XANA. A skilled fighter on Lyoko, just like her friends, but has lost confidence in herself after Jeremie's betrayal. As stubborn as the original Yumi. Oldest of the Lyoko group. (Though Alter Aelita's age is unknown, and she may be older). Now in our universe. ( Secretly in love with Alter Ulrich).**

_( Lyoko form)_

_Yumi: Geisha: Metal fan, telekinesis._

_Alter Yumi: Geisha: Metal fans. No known telekinetic ability. Any other abilities unknown._

Whew, another chapter finally done. The hardest yet, in my opinion. Took me so long just to get some of the parts written the way I wanted them to. So sorry it took me so long to complete it. Anyway, chapter seven is progress, though how long it'll take to finish is still up in the air. Hopefully not as long as this chapter took.

Well, if you read, please review. I like people's thoughts.


	7. Familiarity

Twisted Reality

By Flying Star

Disclaimer: Alter Jeremie corrupted the files. So in other words, I don't own Code Lyoko. Antefilms and Moonscoop do.

1

Now Yumi's in real trouble. Course, so is Jeremie and their group. Enough said.

1

**Bold: Alter XANA**

_Italics: Mechanical, monotone speech. Alter Aelita tends to speak this way. Also used for emphasis._

" " : Speech

' ' : Thoughts/thinking

1 : Section Breaks

Alter : Identifies the alternate Lyoko characters from their originals.

1

Chapter 7: Familiarity

' Megatanks...it just _had _to be Megatanks.' Alter Yumi thought, pacing between the two active scanners. Jeremie, whether purposely or accidently, had left the intercom on, letting her hear the conversations between him and his friends.

What she'd heard didn't comfort her.

A harsh sound and a staticy cry of pain suddenly erupted from the intercom, quickly followed by a shout from Jeremie.

Alter Yumi stopped, her hand coming to rest against Odd's scanner as she pressed her ear to its surface. The gentle humming emanating from within altered, the soft noise transforming to a frenzied whine as the device readied to relinquish its occupant.

She knew the sound, and it gave her more than enough reason to worry.

Return trips from Lyoko were never easy. Many times it felt like being socked in the gut, or your chest burning like you'd run a mile on a hot day.

But recovery was, for the most part, instantaneous...except with Megatanks.

Alter Yumi stepped back as Odd's scanner slid open.

Megatanks were a different matter altogether. She watched as Odd lurched out.

The boy gripped the scanner's edge as he raised his head, shallow breaths coming from between clenched teeth as he held a spot on his chest. Beneath his hand Alter Yumi could seeing a slowly darkening stain.

" It's okay, just relax." Alter Yumi began, just as Odd, as if taking her words too literally, stumbled and fell, uttering a small cry of pain.

" Odd, what's going on!" Jeremie's voice filtered through the intercom.

" It...hurts." The devirtualized youth managed to mutter painfully as he slowly rolled onto his side, pushing himself to his knees. " It's never...hurt like _this_ before." Taking Alter Yumi's offered hand, he stood up, then leaned against Ulrich's scanner.

" Of course it hurts." Alter Yumi nodded, as if the answer was so obvious. She then frowned. " But what were you thinking? Taking on a Megatank head-on?"

" I...do it all the time. Taken down my fair share of them too." Odd swayed slightly as he took a step away from the scanner. He still felt weak, and for some strange reason the hand pressed against his chest, felt wet." I just didn't expect it to actually hurt, and those tentacle things and the muck, that was new."

" Megatank lasers are the only weapon that can bypass the program that normally shields you from feeling pain after leaving Lyoko, inflicting actual damage. How many life points did you have before you were struck?"

" All one hundred."

Alter Yumi relaxed a little. " You were hit in the chest, right? Then take off your shirt, and you'll see what I mean."

Gingerly, Odd removed the garment, wincing as it stuck for a moment, before staring. A inch wide slice, extending from his breastbone to the bottom of his stomach, was visible. Blood, which had been the reason for his shirt clinging, still trickled from the wound.

" That's what happens when you _don't _get out of a Megatank's line of fire." Alter Yumi scolded quietly.

"Couldn't help it." Odd protested weakly, sliding back down, this time against the deactivated scanner, the cool metal bringing some relief to his aching form. " I was kind of tied up with nowhere to go."

" It could've been much worse." Alter Yumi countered. " If your lifepoints had been anything less than one hundred percent..." She trailed off. " Just consider yourself lucky."

" Heh." Odd rasped, feeling well enough to joke. " Scolded by _two _Yumi's, Ulrich'll never beat that."

" Yeah, well. Ulrich could definitely use some help on Lyoko. He hasn't been hit directly, but his life points are down to sixty." Jeremie interupted, his voice sounding strained after hearing about the possible deadly ramifications of a Megatank hit.

" Well, I'm out." Odd said sullenly from the floor.

The room grew quiet.

And then a whisper broke the silence. " I'll go."

1

Both Alter Odd and Alter Ulrich jumped as the door to the kitchen slammed open, the commander storming in.

" Whoa! Where's the fire?" Alter Odd asked, observing the virtual girl. There was code trickling from a cut over her eye, and the wrapping from her arm had come loose.

_" I'm...we're heading to the Factory."_

" Are you _mad_!" Alter Odd questioned in shock.

Alter Aelita looked over her shoulder, remarking calmly. _" Definition: Afflicted with a mental disorder, lacking restraint or reason, or angry and resentful? I assure you that the first two do not apply to me."_

" Reckless is a better definition." Alter Ulrich muttered as he picked up shattered glass from his previously intact cup. " Why the sudden suicidal urge?"

" Yeah, and where's Yumi?"

Alter Aelita sat down at the table, sweeping some dust aside before placing a laptop, currently under her arm, onto its surface. _" I will explain in a moment. But first I must make contact with their world."_

" Who's..." Alter Odd paused. " But we don't...The line's not secure."

_" I know." _She grabbed the loose wrapping, wincing as she secured it back in place. _" But the time for discretion is over." _A beep signaling connection made her look up. _" Aelita, come in."_

1

_" Aelita, come in."_

Jeremie's gaze went to the window as it popped up, taking a moment to recognize the being as Aelita's alternate self, rather than Aelita herself, as he monitored Ulrich's, Alter Yumi's, and Aelita's movements on Lyoko.

She looked equally surprised, the girl frowning. _" I did not expect you." _She craned her neck. _" Are you isolated?" _

" Iso..." Jeremie blinked. " You mean, alone?"

A nod.

For the moment. Odd's back from Lyoko, but he's nursing some kind of Megatank wound down in the scanner room right now."

The girl's expression changed, worry permeating the cold mask. _" How bad is the damage?"_

Jeremie shifted his gaze back and forth between Alter Aelita and Lyoko's map. " I..." A sudden hiss from the lift doors made him turn around. " Odd?"

Leaning heavily against the wall for support, Odd gave Jeremie a small, though slightly pained, smile. " I'm...fine. It'll take more than a little scratch to do me in." He shuffled into the room, plopping down into a nearby chair. "Besides, everyone's having fun without me."

Jeremie caught sight of Odd's 'scratch'. " You sure you're okay? That doesn't look very good." Indeed, all the moving around had caused fresh blood to begin running from the injury.

Odd looked down as if seeing the torn flesh for the first time. But despite the obvious pain on his face he managed to quip. " I've had paper cuts bigger than this. Now if I _stop _joking, that's when you'll know I'm not feeling well."

Jeremie nodded, then turned back to Alter Aelita. " He'll live." He smiled lightly.

The worried expression vanished, but no smile graced Alter Aelita's face. _" I wanted to talk to your Aelita, but I guess it can't be helped. I need a status report."_

" On what?"

_" The scanner debugging. Is it possible to send our Yumi back here yet?"_

" Unfortunately no. I've...made some headway, but only a little." Jeremie admitted, feeling uncomfortable under her gaze. " Right now I'm focusing on our little problem with XANA."

_" Problem?"_

Jeremie's eyes flicked to the map. So far Alter Yumi and Aelita had all their life points, and Ulrich still had sixty. " XANA sent jets. We're trying to get Aelita to the tower before it figures out the weapon systems. A sudden beeping, followed by another screen popping up, brought Jeremie close to swearing under his breath. He settled for an angry sigh.

" What's that?" Odd asked.

Jeremie watched a small bar steadily fill. " This is how long we have before XANA breaks the control."

Alter Aelita sighed wearily. _" Decisions...I'm sorry for that." _She frowned, deciding to get right to the point. _" Yumi...has been taken by XANA."_

" It what!" For once, genuine concern flickered in Alter Ulrich's eyes.

_" It's my fault. I failed to realize that XANA could read code outside Lyoko. And I forgot about Yumi's source code, it was not of our world. In all the confusion I forgot to shield it from possible scans, and XANA capitalized on it." _She wiped at the 'blood' trail, angry at her mistake. _" My error resulted in her direct capture."_

For the first time, Jeremie noticed her condition. " Did it cause your injuries?"

Alter Aelita turned back to him, ignoring his question. _"We're heading to the **heart **of the Factory to retrieve Yumi. It will be very difficult, Jeremie will do everything he can to stop us..." _She paused, changing the subject quickly. _" He has Lyoko scanners. Since the scanner was at least one main part of the switch, if I can get her to one..."_

It was Jeremie's turn to frown. " You need me to crack the buggy code, so you can transfer our Yumi back to us, and bring your Yumi back to you. But that'll send your Yumi right into your Jeremie's clutches."

_" No. If the transfer is accurate, I can reroute her back to our current hideout. I..." _She sighed. _" I implore you. I'll have limited access from my end, but once I make contact again, it may be for the last time." _She allowed a small smile. _" Don't worry though, we won't just lie down and die."_

Behind her, Alter Odd and Alter Ulrich nodded. " It'll take more than Jeremie's little toys to stop us." Alter Ulrich said with conviction in his voice.

Jeremie nodded, again feeling uneasy. Though he knew they were talking about his counterpart, the thought didn't make him feel any better. " I'll try my best, but right now I have to go. Keep in touch when you can, and hopefully I'll have things sorted out."

_" Affirmative, Aelita out." _The screen winked out as the commander cut the connection, before standing.

" Is what you're saying true, commander?" Alter Ulrich asked quietly.

Alter Aelita's head bowed. _" No. What I said was for their benefit."_

" You don't expect any of us to survive, do you?"

_" Do you?"_

All his bravado gone, Alter Ulrich answered. " No."

_" The stakes are much higher than they were. I do want to save her, to get her home. But the sheer odds..." _She bent down, picking up something by her feet. _" To retrieve her, dead or alive..I can't go into much detail, but we must get her away from Jeremie, or the consequences will extend farther than was originally possible."_

" Can this day get any worse?" Alter Odd muttered.

The commander turned around, a bag now hanging over her shoulder. _" If our world falls, so will theirs."_

1

' This is really bad.' Yumi thought.

After regaining consciousness, she'd found herself sitting on a chair, in a place that was more than familar to her...the Factory. She wasn't bound, but the thought didn't bring her any comfort. Worse yet, across from her, Alter Jeremie stood observing her.

His gaze swept over her. " You look so much like her."

All she could remember was Alter Aelita shouting a warning, the ground slamming into her chin, and then nothing. Frankly, she was getting tired of being in the dark, whether voluntarily or not.

Now she found herself staring at the basically evil equivalent of her friend, who was examining her like a piece of meat.

" Heck, you could be her twin."

" She said you did something, that the world couldn't ignore." Yumi looked him in the eyes, forcing herself to keep her gaze even with his.

Alter Jeremie chuckled, the sound bringing chills down Yumi's spine. " I've _done _many things, Yumi. Things people can't simply ignore. He walked closer, smiling darkly. " Perhaps my _dear _Aelita meant the assassination. It was the day I yanked control from the American government. Other world powers succumbed after that."

" You...killed..."

" Yes, the United States president."

1

" Jeremie, I need some help here." Ulrich said through clenched teeth as a slimy tentacle hit his arm, making the limb flare up in pain. With effort, he managed to keep his grip on his sword as he took a swing at the nearest Megatank, which easily evaded his attack. The two Megatanks seemed to be toying with him now, lashing out as they cornered him, but not shooting. " They didn't have 'eye' symbols to hit, and my sword just bounces off their hide. How do I beat them?"

" I'm not sure, but help is on the way. I hope." Came Jeremie's reply.

" You hope.." Ulrich started, then cringed as one of the Megtanks, perhaps growing tired of their little game, opened up. His eyes closed, the boy remembering Odd's last anguished cries as he heard the humming of the creature's weapon. " How can I beat them?"

The Megatank reared back, and then shuddered as something shiny slashed through half the cords holding its core in place. _" Structural breech!" _Another glistening object followed the first, this time, tearing through the remaining cords. _"Core systems compromised!" _There was a 'ping' sound as all six cords fell away, its entire form collapsing before disintegrating.

Ulrich turned in time to see Alter Yumi catch the other fan shakily, her gaze still on the remaining Megatank as she answered his question.

" You cut their cords."

1

" You didn't..."

Alter Jeremie shrugged. " Guilty as charged. Well, technincally XANA did the deed, but I ordered it. It was actually quite easy, given all the security he had. But what good is the Secret Service, when XANA can traverse through everyday electrical objects?"

He snapped his fingers. " A pity really, but a lasting show of power was in order. And truly, what could be more damning, remembered, than the death of a political superpower?"

Yumi shook her head in disgust. " Not..much." She whispered to herself.

Alter Jeremie smirked. " And televised live to the entire world. A simple signal override, and everyone was able to see him fall, his death the true beginning of my reign."

" You really are sick, you know that." Yumi snarled.

" Fait accomplis, my dear Yumi. There's no turning back. The deeds have been done, I have control of this world, and soon so much more..." He leaned back, somehow staying upright even though he wasn't near a wall or anything for support. " So, tell me Yumi. How did you arrive here? What was your mode of transport?"

Yumi opened her mouth, but Alter Jeremie stopped her with a raised hand.

" Don't tell me by XANA. I'm speaking of how you came to be in our world."

Yumi froze, the full impact of what he meant hitting her.

" I can see from your silence that you already know what I'm talking about. So please, enlighten me."

She didn't need to make a decision. Whether she lived or died, there was no way she would reveal any information to Alter Jeremie that he could use to access her world. She glared at him, uttering only one word. " No."

" You confuse my hospitality." Alter Jeremie's pleasant expression suddenly evaporated, his eyes narrowing from behind his glasses.

Its shadow rose from behind him before Yumi could react, tendrils wrapping around her arms and legs as the blond-haired genius laughed.

" I guess it matters not, at least for now. If neccessary, I can pry the information from your cold, dead corpse." He studied his hands, making a dismissive gesture. " Your survival rested on my _generousity_." He turned away. " Earth already belongs to us, our world, molded to our desire. Soon to be devoid of the human filth defiling it."

" B-but, you're human too." Yumi gasped, trying to pull at the strands now snaking around her throat. Alter XANA's tendrils only tugged harder, yanking her hands away.

**"That is..." **Alter XANA hesitated, **" too true, but he is the rare exception. A being who sees my vision, shares my vision, and soon my power."**

Dark spots began to form, her throat burning and lungs aching as Alter XANA continued squeezing. ' It can't end like this.' She thought as she kept pulling. Unfortunately her actions were proving quite futile.

" Did you really think you could change anything?" His laughter died away as she continued thrashing, though her struggles were growing more lethargic.

" You...won't...win." Yumi gasped harshly.

Alter Jeremie walked up, grasping her chin tightly, a cruel smirk twisting his features. " Life isn't a fairytale, Yumi. Good..doesn't always triumph over evil." He paused suddenly, his attention turning away from her. " But it likes to try."

1

" How did you know?" Ulrich asked Alter Yumi as the two took cover behind a tree. The remaining Megatank had already blasted through two lines of trees, but it, unlike its deleted companion, had yet to directly attack them.

Alter Yumi shook her head. " It's the way its always been. Megatanks were always the hardest to eliminate in my world. No time to explain further. We have to take out the Megatank now, or else we'll be dealing with a lot more in a few minutes." She shuddered, her hand reflexively fingering one of the fans tucked in her outfit's sash. The cold metal, harmless looking, yet deadly when unfurled, was a welcome feeling as she looked to Ulrich.

Ulrich blinked. " XANA doesn't have the ability to create more than two or three."

" Maybe originally, but I've seen this pattern." She grabbed his arm, dragging him to another line of trees, Aelita following as the Megatank lined up for another shot. A second later the tree they'd been behind, and the ones in front of it, were reduced to digital ash. " It'll clear a path, and then call for backup. Without the trees for cover, we'll be surrounded within seconds after it finishes. We're talking about upwards of a half dozen of those things."

" That many." Aelita remarked quietly, hardly able to believe it herself.

Ulrich paled. Two Megatanks were bad enough, but a whole legion of them... " Why not use your fans again, take it out from a distance like before?"

" No." Alter Yumi frowned. " Why do you think it hasn't attacked us directly? After witnessing the demise of its companion, it'll be watching for my attack. Though big, they're not dumb." The frown deepened. " What we need is a diversion. Something to keep its attention fully occupied. Something it won't expect or anticipate."

Ulrich smirked. " Why didn't you say so? Triplicate!"

Alter Yumi suddenly felt like she was seeing triple. " How..."

" I'll tell you in a moment." The middle Ulrich, which she figured to be the real Ulrich, said seriously as he watched the Megatank. It had already cleared out a wide swath of trees surrounding them, which meant they were running out of time. " As you said, our main concern is taking out that Megatank before it finishes what its doing. And well, " He grinned this time. " You said you needed a diversion." He flicked his thumb toward the waiting clones.

" Y-yeah, I mean yes." Alter Yumi said, shaking her head. " Okay, here's what we'll do."

1

" It seems you get to live a little bit longer."

Alter Jeremie motioned to Alter XANA, at which Yumi felt a sudden release of pressure, her lungs gratefully sucking in air as she followed Alter Jeremie's gaze, seeing the figures on the surveilence system.

" Odd, Ulrich, and Aelita." Alter Jeremie nodded slightly, looking more amused than annoyed. " Persistent pests, that don't know when to give up." He suddenly reached out, flipping a switch. " Greetings."

The aformentioned figures outside the entrance jumped, looking about warily.

' The intercom.' Yumi realized foggily, her neck and limbs aching as she hung from Alter XANA's grip.

" I must say, I am surprised. Coming all this way just to surrender..."

" We're here for Yumi!" Came Alter Ulrich's angry reply. " Give her back to us!"

Alter Jeremie shook his head. " Still no manners, I see. As for our mystery girl from another world. I was still having some words with her..."

" Oh, I can think of a few words..."

Alter Jeremie made a scolding noise. " Mind your mouth, Ulrich." The screen suddenly panned around to the prone girl onscreen.

" YUMI!" Alter Ulrich stared as the girl raised her head weakly. Offscreen, Alter Jeremie gestured to the nebulous form restraining her. Onscreen, the group watched in horror as Alter XANA began yanking Yumi's right arm, the girl crying out in pain as it bent back farther than ones' arm was physically supposed to. A sharp crack followed, Yumi slumping forward, unconscious.

The screen slide back to Alter Jeremie, who was grinning wickedly. " Lest our dear Yumi suffer an even more debilitating 'accident'."

Alter Ulrich drew his sword, dark hatred reflecting against the cold steel.

Alter Jeremie shook his head, sighing dramatically. " Such drama. If you're so very insistent on seeing her, I shall allow you a brief respite...before I destroy you."

" How very _kind _of you." Alter Odd snarled.

" Kindness has nothing to do with it. In truth, I have need of some entertainment."

" Entertainment?"

Alter Jeremie pulled a small square object from his pocket. " Now what kind of host would I be without leaving you someone to escort you up? In fact, I've got just the person. Fitting since she used to keep calling for her Ulrich-dear."

Alter Ulrich felt a cold chill go down his back at his words. It couldn't be, they never found her...

Outside, the door to the factory started opening slowly, a shadow shifting slightly behind the steel frame.

A metallic glint caught Alter Ulrich's eye as the figure stepped into the light, bringing her form into clear, disbelieving focus.

Alter Ulrich's mouth opened. " Sissi."

To be continued...

1

Profile for Ulrich this time.

**Ulrich: Our Ulrich. Silent type, athletic. Expert swordsman on Lyoko. (Secretly in love with Yumi).**

**Alter Ulrich: Silent type, brooding. Expert swordsman on Lyoko, but constantly striving to improve. Was fiercely, but not obsessively, protective of Alter Yumi ever since her parents died. Had lost hope that she was still alive. ( Secretly in love with Alter Yumi).**

_**Lyoko Form**_

**_Original: Samurai: Sword, triplicate ability, short speed bursts._**

**_Alter:  : Samurai: Duel swords, super speed, no longer has triplicate ability._**

Another chapter done. Sorry it took me so long. And there's not really much else to say except, if you read, please review. I like people's thoughts.


	8. Lost

Twisted Reality

By Flying Star

Disclaimer: Hey, if Jeremie can't crack the code, how do you expect me to? In other words, I don't own Code Lyoko. Antefilms and Moonscoop do.

1

Okay, finally got this chapter complete. I apologize for the wait.

1

**Bold: Alter XANA**

_Italics: Mechanical, monotone speech. Alter Aelita tends to speak this way. Also used for emphasis._

" " : Speech

' ' : Thoughts/thinking

1 : Section breaks

Alter : Identifies the alternate Lyoko characters from their originals.

1

Chapter 8 : Lost

Alter Aelita took a step back.

" Oh..my..god." Alter Odd whispered in disgusted fascination.

Alter Jeremie had not been kind to the former school diva, and it showed.

What was once human, now barely resembled a being of skin and bones. In fact, most of Alter Sissi's body had been reduced to scrapyard material. Arms, legs, even her body were more metal than flesh. Only her head vaguely looked human.

Two more disturbing details came to light as she advanced toward them, pausing after a few steps.

Her mouth was gone.

Or at least not a functioning one was present. A thin, crudely healed scar was all that remained.

But even more disturbing, and what held Alter Ulrich's attention the most, was her eyes. Though blood-shot and slitted due to her infrequency out in the sun, there was the very distinct gleam of intelligence, of recognition in her eyes as they landed on him.

_" How could you do such a thing?!" _Alter Aelita growled.

Alter Jeremie ignored her outburst, instead studying his creation. " My earliest experiment in the process of replacing bone and tissue. Not exactly a success nor a failure. " he glared down at the motionless figure. "It was quite hard to quiet that _pretty little mouth _of hers. " he remarked sarcastically. " Even after I did my modifications. I still don't understand how she _could _scream, considering her lack of lungs, but ah, you live, you learn. A little corrective surgery fixed the problem quite well."

His eyes now fell on the commander, an eyebrow raising. " You're a bit similar to her in that respect, my _dear _Aelita."

Alter Aelita visibly bristled. _" You know NOTHING about me!"_

" Au contrare. " Alter Jeremie grinned, keeping an eye on his creation before remarking casually. " She doesn't require oxygen since she's no longer human. Sound familar?"

Behind the commander, Alter Ulrich and Alter Odd exchanged glances. Both were acutely aware of the girl's 'condition'.

Ever since their 'upgrades', Alter Aelita, whether subconsciously or not, had become prone to periods of halted breathing. It was minor at first, barely noticeable. But as time passed these periods of cessation increased in length to the point where now except to vocalize or after heavy exertion, her chest would remain still, neither rising nor falling in the rhythmic motion that indicated breathing.

Neither was privy to admit how unnatural it was, and how uncomfortable it made them feel.

Alter Jeremie leered at the commander, but if his comment fazed her, she didn't show it.

" Delightful."

Alter Aelita scowled.

" You're sick." Alter Odd muttered.

Alter Jeremie nodded. " So I've been told." He smiled, though the expression held all the warmth of a jackel. " Now, where were we? Oh yes, now that introductions have been made, small talk established and such..."

Suddenly the door began moving again, grating loudly behind Alter Sissi as multiple creatures appeared. They looked similar to Lyoko's Kankrelets, though much smaller and swatting lower.

_" What happened to letting us inside unaccosted?!" _Alter Aelita said angrily, eyeing the artificial beings.

" Did you really think I'd just _let _you into my humble abode?"

_" Humble is the least likely description in my mind."_

" Touche, my _dear _Aelita. But you, of all 'people', should know after all this time, that I have a affinity for lying." He took a moment, letting his gaze sweep over the group. " I applaud your stoutheartedness, but I'm afraid your journey has reached its tragic end."

Alter Sissi took another step forward, hesistating, waiting...

" Sissi."

The girl stiffened, tilting her head just enough to see his image.

Alter Jeremie waved his hand as if shooing away some pesky insect. " Kill them."

1

" Hey, over here!"

Alter Yumi watched from her position as three blurs spread out from the lone Megatank, keeping their distance, but remaining within its view. Triplicate...that's what he'd called it as he'd laid out his plan. The ability to split oneself into three seperate entities, though at the cost of ten lifepoints apiece if one of his clones were deleted. Now that she thought about it, she vaguely remembered her Ulrich briefly possessing such an ability.

Before Jeremie had his way, that is.

Behind her, Aelita waited patiently.

The sphere rotated, temporarily abandoning its razing to try to follow the triple split warrior.

" On Ulrich's signal." Alter Yumi muttered.

" I understand." Aelita replied, tensing slightly as she watched the scene before them.

Alter Yumi glanced back for just a brief moment, judging the contrasts between the pink-haired sprite and the commander back in her world. From what she'd surmised, this virtual girl rarely ventured to the real world, probably something to do with the virus Aelita had mentioned while Ulrich set up his clones.

And she definitely seemed very different from her world's Aelita. There was no hard glint in her eyes, nor weariness, her face devoid of the hatred that was almost always affixed to the commander's. Aside from the fearful gaze, the pink-haired sprite, at least to Alter Yumi, seemed blissfully unaware of the grim realities outside the borders of her home. In short, she didn't look like she'd witnessed death in any form.

It made Alter Yumi almost envy the virtual girl.

It also made her wonder, given different circumstances, if her world's Aelita could've regained the same innocence that graced the girl beside her. If their world's Jeremie had not changed into a tyrant.

" When a butterfly flaps its wings..." She muttered, returning her gaze to Ulrich.

1

It happened so fast. One second Alter Sissi was standing in front of the factory, and then suddenly she was in front of him, bringing her fist forward with surprising speed.

Alter Ulrich ducked, barely evading the blade that unfolded from her wrist as she turned around, launching herself at him.

So Jeremie _had _armed her. Couldn't say he was surprised.

Alter Ulrich jumped back as Alter Sissi reached for him, then gazed into her eyes. He immediately recognized the glazed expression of servatude that all Alter Jeremie's subjects held.

Behind her, he could see Alter Aelita and Alter Odd engaging the rest of Alter XANA's creations, the two faring quite well, considering what they had on hand. Alter Odd was using what one could consider a smaller version of a crossbow, the arrows embedding into vital fuel lines with pinpoint accuracy. Alter Aelita, meanwhile, was fending off her attackers with the tazer she'd modified from earlier encounters. The 'weapon' did its work, short-circuiting the kankrelets electric circuitry.

Alter Ulrich grunted as Alter Sissi's blades collided with his lone blade, the clashing weapons producing a flurry of sparks before the two seperated, the girl standing eerily still.

Two blank orbs stared at him as Alter Jeremie laughed from the monitor.

" She makes a rather good soldier." He smirked, enjoying the scene. " Primative, but useful. It's really the only reason why I keep her around. " Sissi..."

She glanced back.

Alter Jeremie made some gestures, and as he did something on his wrist flashed into view. A small flash of light, almost invisible to the naked eye, followed. " Continue."

1

Ulrich positioned himself as far back as he could, keeping a careful eye on his clones as he gave the first part of his signal.

" One..." He brought his sword forward defensively, then flashed a sign to Alter Yumi, who nodded. Just a few more seconds.

" Two..." The clone on the far left raised its sword, waiting...

" Three..." The remaining clone unsheathed its sword, standing at the ready.

" How many can there be?" Ulrich finished. Simultaniously all three began running circles around the Megatank, and at the same time twirling their swords at an increasing rate of speed. The resulting glowing 'discs' of light, coupled with their speed, made the weapons almost indistinguishable from the serrated blades of Alter Yumi's fans.

Which was exactly the plan.

The Megatank looked positively helpless, swinging back and forth between the blurs, trying to draw a bead, but unable to lock on. Its sensors going haywire as all information suggested that none were the real target. Frustrated from the lack of real data, it opened its body, focusing on the middle Ulrich...

...and realized its grievious error a split second too late as the fatal blades from Alter Yumi's fans tore away its core.

1

Alter Ulrich literally felt the air move as he ducked to avoid Alter Sissi's swipe.

" Sissi, listen to me! You have to fight his control!"

His words had little effect as Alter Sissi continued her assault, viciously slashing at him at every opportunity she got. Alter Ulrich raised his sword, blocking blow after blow. It was all he could do to keep alive.

But a blade fashioned from scrap metal was considerable less hardy than the real deal.

As Alter Sissi slashed down again, and Alter Ulrich swung his blade up to block, it happened.

His blade broke through the sharpened pieces of metal on her wrists, bringing the 'girl' to a halt. She stared at the severed metal for only a moment, before swinging the damaged limbs. The move took Alter Ulrich by surprise as her arms made contact with his weapon, knocking it free.

The sword, liberated from his grasp, flipped through the air...right into the wires connecting the security cameras to the factory.

Now defenseless, Alter Ulrich desperately reached for something, anything that would shield him, and yet realizing at the same time he had nothing. He looked down.

" I'm sorry, Yumi." He whispered.

When no fatal blow came he blinked, slowly looking up into Alter Sissi's face.

She stood motionless, staring at him with clear eyes.

1

" I don't mean to rush you or anything." Jeremie said, watching with mounting concern as the indicator reached its peak. " But XANA's getting ready to fire!"

As the exclaimation left his mouth, he watched in horror as the lead jet lowered its massive guns, the barrels aiming for the frightened people below.

" HURRY!"

Aelita finished her sprint, flowing through the tower as she allowed the data stream to carry her to the top level.

The guns began to rotate...

AELITA...CODE

The jet opened fire...

LYOKO

1

" I'm getting _way _too old for this." Odd said, slidding down the rope to the factory floor as Ulrich and Alter Yumi followed close behind.

The latest timeshift had provided them some breathing room, placing them back at the point where Alter Yumi had first been laid up in the hospital. This time, with Alter Yumi acting like their normal daughter, Yumi's parents had been able to bring her home already.

Now, after having snuck out, all three were getting ready to meet with Jeremie in the supercalculator room.

" Old? Odd, you're only thirteen. How many people your age fight virtual creatures on a regular basis?" Ulrich smirked as the latter shook his head.

" It just proves my point. Seriously though, I'm really considering applying for hazard pay or something. I mean I love a good fight, but those Megatanks were off the scale." Odd shivered slightly, at which Ulrich placed a hand on his shoulder.

" That's true, but thankfully our friend, " Ulrich smiled at Alter Yumi, who blushed lightly, " knew where their weakspot was."

" No kidding, but I have to admit, I kindof miss XANA's old monsters. At least with them you knew where to shoot, I was practically neutered out there." Odd rubbed his chest absentmindedly. The wound was gone, thanks to the time reversal, but he could still feel it burning against his chest. " Give me a good old XANA symbol any day of the week."

" A symbol?" Alter Yumi questioned as they exited the lift.

" Yep." Odd chimed. "Big symbol that's normally on their heads. One or two hits through that and bam, no more monster."

" A visible weakspot, what kind of defense is that?" Alter Yumi chuckled. " I mean, something that obvious seems rather counter-intuitive if you ask me."

Odd scratched his head. " Counter-what?"

" She means the opposite of what makes sense, going against common sense." Jeremie said quietly from his seat at the supercalculator. " I've sometimes wondered that myself." He swiveled the chair around. " You're...okay with my presence?" he asked just as quietly, watching Alter Yumi nod slowly.

" I've come to terms. I know your not him. Just as I know Yumi's parents, are not my parents. Though I admit it's hard to see past the likeness." She added quietly.

" Jeremie, are you okay?" Aeltia asked, concern lacing her voice. The young genius looked pale.

Jeremie's response was to shake his head. " After that last return trip, I found some information that may help me with the scanner, actually I'm sure of it. However, I'm concerned about something else."

" And what is that?" Aelita asked.

Jeremie removed his glasses, looking at the lens. " Since the scanner glitch, every time I've implemented a time reversal, the resulting time wave has never gone back past that point. No matter how many times I've entered a new quantum format for a farther jump, the results have always been the same. It's almost as if something's preventing a full time reversal."

" But shouldn't that be a good thing?" Aelita questioned. " That means the glitch should originate from that particular packet of data."

"I know, and with your help I should be able to get the glitch resolved sooner, but there's something else that's been bothering me more. It's you, or more specifically, your counterpart. I don't believe was being completely truthful with us."

" But why? What could she possible gain from lying?"

" She wants to give us hope that things will turn out well, despite the odds."

1

" You...do understand me, don't you?" Alter Ulrich asked quietly.

A small, slow nod.

Alter Ulrich lowered his sword as Alter Odd and Alter Aelita joined him. Behind them, the smoking husks were all that remained of Alter Jeremie's creatures. " Then, you can help us."

This time she shook her head, pointing to her neck.

" I don't understand."

Alter Sissi suddenly stepped forward, reaching, gesturing to his hand, his _armed _hand.

The implication was cystal clear. " You...want me to..."

Another nod.

" No, I won't do it. There has to be another way..." he trailed off, realizing how ridiculous he sounded. Alter Sissi was already beyond help, her weapons shattered by him, her mind barely able to function. And the only thing keeping her technically alive was Alter Jeremie's cruelty, and, he realized at the moment, himself.

As if to lend credence to his thoughts, Alter Odd leaned over. " She's already dead, Ulrich. You'd be doing her a favor."

" I know." Alter Ulrich muttered, struggling to believe his own words. He looked up, raising his sword.

Alter Sissi seemed to shudder, but bent down, as if she knew her time had finally come.

Alter Ulrich carefully aimed his weapon, wanting to make sure he got it on the first try. " I'm really sorry." The sword wisked down.

1

" I've got it!" Jeremie's sudden outburst caught Odd offguard, the boy falling off the chair he'd set up earlier.

" Ow, next time a little warning would help." Odd complained, rubbing his sore posterior.

" Sorry, Odd. It's just that I've cracked a large part of the scanner error. I really think I'll be able to bring our Yumi back." he hesitated. "Provided her counterpart wants to go back."

" You don't need to worry about asking, I'm right here." Alter Yumi said as she entered the room, followed by Ulrich. After exiting the factory earlier, Ulrich had insisted on taking Alter Yumi out for a quick walk.

" You found the glitch?" Alter Yumi asked cautiously.

" It wasn't easy, and the values may not be one hundred percent accurate. Just finding the right pieces of information were a task in themselves, but Aelita helped me find the most critical components." Jeremie removed his glasses, rubbing the lens clean and placing them back on his face as he turned around. " Something worries me though, the buggy coding reeked of XANA's handiwork, but I'm not sure if it was _our _XANA, or yours."

" You mean?" Alter Yumi whispered.

Jeremie nodded slowly. " The switch wasn't an accident."

1

" It just doesn't feel right, you know? I didn't want to..."

_" You did what you had to do."_

" Yeah." Alter Odd remarked quietly. " It's what she wanted."

Alter Ulrich sheathed his sword. " We should bury her, at least."

_" I'm sorry, Ulrich, but we don't have time."_

" We had the time to chit-chat, didn't we?" He countered, anger edging his voice. Despite her 'holier than thou' attitude, Sissi didn't deserve to lay out in the open like Jeremie's discarded plaything.

_" If you wish, you may cover her." _The commander replied icily as she walked toward the heavy iron door. Pulling off the bag slung over her shoulder, she opened it and began pulling out lumps of some unidentifiable substance.

Draping a large enough cloth over Alter Sissi's body, Alter Ulrich and Alter Odd joined her.

" Okay, what the heck is that stuff?" Alter Odd asked.

Alter Ulrich watched with interest as the commander placed a wad onto the door, before spreading it out. After a moment his eyes widened in recognition.

" Commander, that isn't plastique, is it?"

_" Plastic explosives? Yes, it is." _Alter Aelita answered as she continued to coat the door with the doughy material.

" Where..." Alter Ulrich began quietly, " ...did you get it?"

Alter Aelita paused from her work. _" I procured the material from a facility that specializes in such compounds." _She didn't look up.

" Obtained legally, or do you mean you stole it?"

_" He gave it up willfully, for our cause."_

Alter Ulrich raised a skeptical eyebrow. " Willfully?"

_" This is war, Ulrich."  
_

" Still, there is a fine line between what's morally right and wrong, commander. You should know that well."

_" Believe me, Ulrich..." _Alter Aelita answered lowly. _" I do."_

1

" Annoying pest." Alter Jeremie growled as he eyed the blank monitor.

**" And this is a problem, how?"**

" More like an inconvenience. I need direct visual-digital contact to keep that brat under control. She still has _some _marginal intelligence, despite all my tinkering, and without my commands she could cause some problems."

As if in answer, a thunderous boom shook the area as emergency lights began to flash.

" Perhaps, " Alter Jeremie snarled through the dim illumination, " I've allowed them too much freedom in my world..."

An even louder blast was his answer as the main doors blew open, pelting the area with debris and knocking him off his feet.

" GET AWAY FROM YUMI!"

Alter Jeremie stumbled to his feet, just as something struck his face, the object producing a thin line of pain across his cheek. " You d_are _strike me?" He whispered, hand clamping to his cheek. His gaze fell on Alter XANA. " Eliminate them."

**" My pleasure." **Alter XANA growled, releasing Yumi limp form into Alter Jeremie's waiting arms, before flowing eagerly toward the humans, ready to rip them to shreds.

" Go!" Alter Ulrich yelled, watching Alter Odd launch another arrow at Alter XANA, before glaring at Alter Jeremie. "Let her go!"

" Never!" Alter Jeremie growled, clutching Yumi's motionless body to his chest, blood running from his cheek. " Her interference will be dealt with!" He began dragging the unconscious girl to a nearby scanner, his head raising. " Computer, initiate program Lyoko transfer. Two subjects."

Meanwhile, Alter Aelita was frantically reading the computer programs imbedded in Alter Jeremie's computer while fending off Alter XANA's tentacles, searching for what she needed. A few heartbeats later she found something, going pale as she re-read the information.

_REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGED._

The doors opened, accepting Alter Jeremie and his hostage, before starting to close.

" NO!" Alter Ulrich leapt at the two, but fell short, slamming into the now closed doors of the aparatus. " No! You won't take her again!" His hands were still clawing at the metal when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He whirled around, sword raised, before recognizing his friend.

" Easy, Ulrich. I'm on your side. " Alter Odd assured quietly as Alter Aelita joined him. Alter Ulrich noted the ghostly pallor of her face. " XANA's gone. It vanished when Jeremie activated Lyoko's protocol."

Alter Ulrich shook his head. " No, not gone. It's in Lyoko, with them."

_" Then it's time." _Alter Aelita said quietly, her eyes not meeting her friends.

" Time for what?"

_" For the beginning of the end."_

To be continued...

1

Another chapter done. So, what is this 'end' that Alter Aelita's talking about? Let's just say that the consequences will be dire for our group.

Oh yes, almost forgot, here's the next part of the character profile. This time for Jeremie and his not so loveable counterpart. So sorry for the very long wait.

**Character Profile for Jeremie/Alter Jeremie**

_Searching..._

**Jeremie: Our Jeremie. Shy, friendly genius. Will forgo own safety to help friends. Fiercely protective of Aelita. 'Leader of Lyoko group'. ( Secretly in love with Aelita).**

**Alter Jeremie: Genius, and insane. Traitor, he betrayed his friends for power. Partnered with Alter XANA in conquest of Earth. Feels humanity is a lost cause, and understands Alter XANA's vision. There are other reasons for the betrayal that are not disclosed. Loves to taunt Alter Aelita, stressing the word _dear _whenever he talks to her. ( There's a slight chance he may still harbor feelings for Alter Aelita).**

**( Lyoko form)**

**Original: Not seen, only implied**

**Alter: Not seen, yet.**


	9. Code To Destruction

Twisted Reality

By Flying Star

Disclaimer: Purchase denied. In other words, I don't own Code Lyoko.

1

Not really much in terms of author's notes, just sorry for the long wait.

**Bold: Alter XANA**

_**Bold with italics: You'll know here.**_

_Italics: Monotone, mechanical speech. Alter Aelita tends to speak this way. Also used for emphasis._

" " : Speech

' ' : Thoughts/thinking

1 : Section breaks.

Alter " Used to tell apart alternate reality characters from their original counterparts.

1

Chapter 9 : Code To Destruction

He looked up, smiling as he watched their forms solidify in midair, Alter XANA's 'body' hovering behind him in anticipation.

"Welcome..." Alter Jeremie snarled, his tone mocking. " To my world."

Alter Ulrich shifted slightly in his stance, bringing his sword to bear. Alter Aelita stood unmoving, hatred burning in her eyes. In front of them, Alter Odd crouched low, one hand on the ground for support, glaring at their former friend.

" Yumi's coming with us." Alter Odd snarled back, small fangs visible as his claws extended, the red glow from his eye clearly visible through the eyepatch. " Don't try to stop us, Jeremie."

Alter Jeremie's expression darkened further. " Why try to stop you, when you'll soon JOIN HER!! INITIATE PROGRAM DATA FILE MERGE, XANATECH!!"

The swirling darkenss surrounding him ground to a halt, then converged on his waiting form.

Screams echoed from the enveloped form, not of pain, but of pure madness. The boy laughing hysterically as Alter XANA's form began meshing, molding to his 'flesh', hard armor forming, his head being covered by a helmet as dark as night.

Within moments, he was transformed. No longer a small, lanky kid...but a towering knight. Glossy midnight black armor covered every inch of his body, red eyes glaring out from the helmet. And on his chest the symbol of XANA burned brightly, black fire against the smooth metal.

He turned to them, laughing deeply. _**" A vast improvement, don't you think? I've been working on this program for quite some time, but haven't been able to field test it. Now I can, thanks to you bothersome creatures."**_

" Doesn't sound very human, does he?" Alter Odd whispered.

Alter Ulrich nodded. " Aelita, scan program, enemy life points."

_" Processing..." _Her eyes closed. After a second she opened them, a puzzled look on her face. _" Processing scan complete. Life points are 100."_

_**" True, my life points are rather measly. But this form is more than sufficient to take care of you. And trust me, thanks to my new program, you will feel everything I do to you." **_He turned to the prone form still lying behind him, hand raising to eye level. _**" But first, it's time to rid myself of this interferring pest." **_Digital flames burst to life, encircling his fist as he reached for Yumi. _**" Rest assured," **_he leered, _**her end will be swift."**_

" No!" A streak of light, and Alter Ulrich was by her side, scooping the limp girls' form just as Alter Jeremie's fist made contact, delivering a glancing blow to him instead. A gasp of pain erupted from the boy as he skidded across the ground, back sparking massively from the hit. Still clutching Yumi to his chest, he rolled over, gritting his teeth as smoke curled from the 'wound'.

_**" Perfect, the program works." **_Alter Jeremie smirked, watching the samurai struggle to his feet.

_" Life point reduction of 50." _Alter Aelita relayed automatically, a touch of fear in her voice as she watched her former love clench his fist, the knuckle cracking as he fixed her with a smouldering look.

_**" Hello again, my DEAR Aelita. Can't say I'm glad to see you."**_

_"Affirmative." _The commander replied, her tone ice cold.

Alter Jeremie laughed. _**" Still stuck in the past, my dear?"**_

A slight clench of her fists. _" Negative, I have purged you from my memory."_

_**" Then why, " **_Alter Jeremie cooed. _**" do you still react to my presence? "**_

Alter Aelita's expression darkened even more as she took a step forward, only to be stopped by Alter Odd's arm.

" Commander, get to the tower. Do...what you have to do." Alter Odd whispered, looking her in the eyes as he raised his fists. Behind him, Alter Ulrich laid Yumi behind some large rocks, before drawing his swords. " I'll do my best to distract him." A second later, the hidden hatches opened up, revealing his small cache of arrows." Now go!"

She complied, turning away from the group as she ran to the tower.

Moving quickly Alter Odd spun around, launching his projectiles. " Laser arrow!"

Alter Jeremie merely stood his ground as the arrows grew closer, then raised his own hands, catching both with ease. _**" Is this your last line of defense? Pathetic. I expected more of a challenge." **_He gestured toward the retreating figure. _**" And Aelita, how rude of her to leave our little group. I'll have to give her some friends to play with while I attend to you annoyances." **_He clenched his fist.

Instantly a large group of Crabs appeared behind him, legs clanking in anticipation as he pointed to Alter Aelita. _**" Go, kill her."**_

" Oh no, you don't!" Alter Odd yelled." Laser arrow!" Twin arrows flew, slicing through two Crabs like butter before they could even register their demise. But the moment of triumph was shortlived as a laser blast struck him in the chest. ' Nrgh, can't be careless.' He thought, quickly climbing to his feet.

He didn't bother checking his remaining life point total, the hybrid already leaping toward the next Crab, eyes narrowed and fangs bared as he landed on the creature, the thing wailing in its mechanical voice as he reared back.

_" Target threat, rank A level!" _There was the distinct sound of rending metal. _" Alert! Protective layering compromised! System shutdown imminent!"_

Alter Odd leapt off, only distantly registering Alter Ulrich next to him as the samurai jumped off an ajacent Crab, both creatures almost simultaniously blowing apart.

Alter Ulrich gave his a short nod, which the feline did not return. The refusal of acknowledgement doesn't surprise the samurai, whose attention was now focused on the hellish vistage standing in the center of the battlefield.

In a steak of light he took off. Alter Odd doesn't move, doesn't call out to his friend.

For his gaze was elsewhere, watching in the distance, observing with the eyes of both soldier, and predator.

1

" So, what are we waiting for? Let's get the scanner online already..." Odd caught a glimpse of Alter Yumi's expression. " Oh sorry, I mean, if you really want to..."

" It's okay." Alter Yumi assured quietly.

" Yumi?" Ulrich questioned.

" I'm not your Yumi." Alter Yumi sighed. " She's still trapped in my world, and needs to get back here. It was just nice to have things back to normal."

"Yumi, wait!"

Alter Yumi looked over her shoulder." Don't worry, Ulrich. I'm sure...things will turn out okay." Even to her ears, the words rung hollow.

Not giving Ulrich a chance to reply, she boarded the lift.

1

Rolling under the laser fire of a Crab, Alter Aelita sprung to her feet, lifting a hand at the same time to block its next round of lasers. The move failed, the virtual girl cartwheeling across the ground as the blast knocked her back.

Five Crabs, one girl, not good odds. As if in confirmation, the lead Crab suddenly intoned.

_" Target threat, rank D level. Elimination imminent. Proceed."_

Muttering a few choice words under her breath that her counterpart would never utter, she scrambled to her feet, glanced sharply to a spot behind the creatures, and then leapt. The move took them by surprise as something suddenly slammed into their unprotected backs.

Alter Aelita waved to Alter Odd in the distance as he straightened from his crouched stance, the two smoking arrow launchers returning to his side.

She as well, was not surprised when he doesn't wave back as she continued running. Mentally she ran a diagnostic on his arrow count, something she rarely had to do.

Two arrows left.

She had a pretty good feeling that he wasn't happy wasting his supply.

_**" No! STOP HER!!!"**_

Alter Aelita allowed herself a small grin of satisfaction. Alter Jeremie's desperate cry only solidified her original analysis. The code would work.

The grin faltered. And that meant her success would come at a great cost. One she hoped her friends could forgive her for.

The commander stopped dead as two more Crabs appeared in front of her, their lasers heating up.

_" I don't have time for this!" _She growled, running dead on toward the nearest Crab, leveling her shoulder as she slammed into its knees. The move, so unexpected, caused its front appendages to buckle, the creature falling to its knees.

Using the Crab for leverage, she flipped high above its startled companion, before descending through the wall of the tower.

Barely taking a moment to reorient herself, she quickly ascended to the next tower level, logging into the network.

AELITA

As soon as her name registered, her hands began flying across the screen, opening up several smaller windows.

_Procedure inquiry..._

Imput definition...signal action?

_Activate firewall omega 3._

Procedure complete. Next course of action request?

_Imput sequence._

Define code sequence.

_System Zero Core._

Ready.

_1,5, 12, 9, 20, 1..._

1

Just give me a few minutes to plug in the right codes, and we'll be all set." Jeremie's voice echoed through the scanner room.

1

_15, 4, 4..._

Alter Odd's head bowed as he heard the relay sequence starting up. " And the last stone has finally been cast."

He's not the only one to hear. **" NO! She has the sequence procedure!" **Alter XANA's voice screeched from inside Alter Jeremie's armor, bringing the insane genius to a halt.

_**" No, she wouldn't..." **_He turned to the tower, ignoring the samurai feverently hacking at his legs as he read the information spilling forth. His eye widen. _**" My god, is she insane?!" **_His former friends were forgotten as he ran to the tower, cursing the sprite's name.

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Alter Yumi stood nervously, fingering the small charm draped around her wrist, the butterfly design reflecting against the scanner wall. A parting gift from this world's Ulrich. A gift she still wasn't sure she was entitled to, despite his assurances.

He'd purchased it for her while on their walk, hiding it until they were outside one of the few shops they'd entered. Only then had he turned to her and placed it on her wrist.

Her protests at accepting such a gift were cut off when he told her...

" To me, the butterfly symbolizes freedom. It pulled free from its cocoon, and spread its wings to fly unhindered. So please, wear it to remember... maybe not me, but to remember that it is possible to achieve freedom in your world."

Alter Yumi nodded to herself. His words, though corny, did have a note of truth.

She grabbed the charm. " For freedom." She whispered.

1

_24, 1, 14, 1..._

Alter Jeremie snarled, his eyes wide with fear and anger as the firewall remained intact against his fierce blows. Everything was falling apart around him, everything he'd planned, all because of something that shouldn't even...

He paused.

There was his solution. If he couldn't get through by force, he'd get through by words. Hearing the virtual pest near the middle of her recitation, he took a step back, lowering his hands.

**' What are you doing?! She'd almost there!' **Alter XANA's voice rang inside his head, a byproduct of their merger.

' Don't worry. I may have a way to stop her. But just in case, prepare code 25683, and send more Crabs to deal with her friends.' He then raised his head. _**" Aelita! I have a question for you. Why throw away your life for these beings?!"**_

There was a brief pause. _" Because they are my friends. They care for me, just as my creator would've." _She started reciting again.

_25, 21, 13, 9..._

_**"You're lying to yourself. Franz Hopper never had any feelings for you."**_

_" He would've, if he'd lived." _Alter Aelita said between coding, her voice tight and angry.

_**"Wrong, my DEAR Aelita." **_Alter Jeremie purred. _**" Your existence was not what it seemed. Why, did you even realize that your very form was modeled after your creator's dead daughter?"**_

A window opened up at the tower's base, showing the virtual girl's glaring visage. _" Computer, pause imput. Clarify?" _She directed the question at him.

Alter Jeremie grinned. He had her. _**" Tsk, tsk, are you always so demanding? What I said is pure truth. Your very creator had a daughter a long time ago, but then she died. Tragic really, it wasn't even an accident that robbed him of his precious little girl, but rather a quite common respiratory infection, pneumonia."**_

At her silence, he continued. _**" Predictably he was devestated by his loss, and felt her death was unfair. After all, a child is supposed to outive the parent, not the other way around." **_He traced the grooves on the tower, enjoying the venomous stare from the commander. _**" Then certain events came into play. He got a job in the military. What? You didn't think he actually HAD the neccessary resources at his command to create Lyoko? " **_He added as he saw the skeptical look in her eyes._**" Not with his pauper's salary, at least. After studying the sophisicated systems there, he decided her death would not be final. He would have his daughter back, no matter what. And thus Lyoko was born, a place coded to hold life, a specific life, mind you."**_

_"Me?"_

_**" Yes, you. A 'thing' that was supposed to be his daughter. But things don't turn out always like they plan. Especially when he met you, face to face."**_

_" Incorrect logic. We never met on the physical or virtual plane."_

_**" Wrong again. When you were first being developed, your awareness was not fully assembled. As such your comprehension levels only functioned on bare minimal imput. You can't remember because those files were locked."**_

Alter Jeremie smirked to himself. Hopper's journal itself had been a patchwork of unrecognized ideas and senseless ramblings from a man barely on the brink of sanity. And yet his greatest, most coherent creation was about to bring about Alter Jeremie's grandest victory.

How ironic. The man had wanted to create a life, and instead the end of all life was at hand.

Alter Jeremie shook his head at the thought, amused. _**" He continued to study you, but couldn't make you the way he wanted. Your interactions with him were arbitrary at best, but without conscious imput. In short, you were a drone."**_

Alter Aelita glowered, but said nothing.

_**" The fact that you wouldn't act like his little girl threw him deeper and deeper into depression. He became so obsessed with bringing her back that his wife finally left him. You already know what happened when the military found out what he was doing."**_

The commander remained silent, but her expression gave away her grief.

'If one such as her could actually feel anything.' Alter Jeremie thought.

_**" Because of his selfish desire, because he messed with things beyond his control, and tried to play god, he destroyed his marriage, his life, and his daughter's memory. What he got was something that resembled his child, but only in appearance, and nothing else."**_

_" I was to be human, he was going to make sure."_

_**" All lies, I assure you. It's physically impossible."**_

_" My condition..."_

_**" Was never caused by any virus, my DEAR Aelita. You were simply never meant to exist outside Lyoko's virtual borders, in any form."**_

_" Never meant...to exist." _Alter Aelita said quietly, as if reaffirming a truth she already knew.

_**" You're nothing but random bytes of information, trying in vain to emulate a human form. Made by a broken down man who was lost in his fantasies."**_

_" You're lying." _Alter Aelita replied almost in a whisper, her voice shaking.

_**" Still don't believe me, eh? I guess it's time you processed the truth. Here..." **_He paused for a moment, imputting a code he knew quite well. _**" Check file Hopper.18name, and you will have your answer."**_

Alter Aelita scowled, but did so. A window, inside the tower, opened up. Lines of code scrolled down as the commander read everything in front of her, the digital diary of her creator...the truth. Moments later her expression changed as she finished, the virtual girl sinking to her knees as the window winked out.

From the way she looked, Alter Jeremie figured, if capable, tears would be streaming down her face. A sight he would have relished.

_**" As you can see, you were merely a moving picture for him to admire, of a memory long dead and buried. Love would, and never could enter the equation. He never held any special place in his heart for a facsimile..."**_

_" Shut up, SHUT up, SHUT UP!!!" _ The commander screeched, her hand slapping down onto the console, fury and sadness alighting her features as she growled hatefully. _" Computer, commence code instructions!"_

_21, 12, 18, 9, 3, 8..._

Alter Jeremie cursed under his breath, punching harder at the unwielding wall.

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The sound of feet hitting the surface next to her, brought Yumi back to consciousness. She winced as pain flared in her broken arm, the injury still present, despite her being on Lyoko. She looked at Alter Odd, who had finished dispatching one of the remaining Crabs, and was now watching the tower.

" It's finally the end." He muttered, unaware she was awake.

" The end? What do you mean?' She stood up, leaning against the stone structure.

His gaze returned to her as Alter Ulrich joined them, Alter XANA's creatures all but destroyed. " As we were preparing to virtualize into Lyoko, Aelita told me she had found the shutdown sequence to Lyoko." He shook his head. " No, that's not right. She found the means to destroy Lyoko, permanently. Every trace."

Yumi felt a touch of panic, but remained calm. " But without the anti-virus, she'll die." It hit her as she looked into his eyes. " Jeremie hid it here, didn't he? He figured Aelita wouldn't search for it in her own home since she was too busy stopping attacks on Earth."

Alter Odd nodded, catching a glimpse of the pained look on Alter Ulrich's face. " It's more than that really." He took a moment to watch Alter Jeremie pound at the tower, his blows completely ineffective against the firewall surrounding it, before looking back at Yumi.

" We...needed to be here, all of us. Everyone that's been to Lyoko, to make the procedure work. And I knew, I knew it would come to this." He whispered, his ears drooping.

' Lyoko isn't supposed to exist...it may require personal sacrifice.' Alter Aelita's earlier words bounced through Yumi's head, finally making sense.

" Yumi?" Alter Odd paused for a moment. " Are you ready to die?"

1

_10, 5, 18, 5, 13, 9, 5..._

To be continued.

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Ah, things are nearing the end. What will happen to our Yumi? Will Jeremie's alter self stop Alter Aelita before she can finish the sequence? For that matter, will anyone survive? You'll see soon. Hopefully it won't take me too long. Anyway, if you read, please review. I like people's thoughts on the story.

Sorry, no profile today. I'm still getting together XANA's alternate self and its creations in my mind. So the next chapter will have their profiles. Only two chapters left to go.


	10. The End Of A World

Twisted Reality

By Flying Star

Disclaimer: Fours seasons and still no luck. In other words, I still don't own Code Lyoko. Antefilms and Moonscoop do.

1

Only one more chapter after this. By the way, does anyone know what sequence Alter Aelita's reciting? Yes, they actually mean something. And now, it's time for the end.

1

**Bold: Alter XANA**

_**Bold with italics: Alter XANA and Alter Jeremie merged.**_

_Italics: Monotone, mechanical speech. Alter Aelita tends to speak this way. Also used for emphasis._

" " : Speech

' ' : Thoughts/thinking

1 : Section breaks

Alter : Used to tell apart alternate characters from originals

1

Chapter 10 : The End Of A World

" I don't quite follow you?" Yumi questioned.

" Dead or alive." Alter Odd answered, still reflecting back on Alter Aelita's earlier words. " Your survival, _our _survival was...never an issue, never in question. This is a suicide mission. And what you hear is the beginning of the end. I'm sorry, but you're not going home. None of us are."

Yumi felt soft pressure as Alter Ulrich's hand slid into her own, his eyes locking with hers. She could see her sorrow reflecting in the twin orbs. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze, letting him know all was forgiven as she said quietly.

" Then this really is goodbye."

" Yes." Alter Odd affirmed, cupping his ear to tap into Alter Aelita's com link. " Once Aelita finishes the code."

1

6, 18, 1, 14, 26...

1

Alter Yumi stood inside the chamber, shuddering as the machine hummed to life. This was it. Her whole life came down to one simple promise.

" Almost there. I'm scanning your profile to complete the cleansing."

Her head lowered. " For my parents."

1

Alter Jeremie's fist slammed against the tower's surface, its echoing ring overpowered by Alter XANA's angry growl.

**' We're running out of time, hu- Jeremie!'**

Don't I KNOW that, XANA?!' Alter Jeremie snarled back. ' I'm in control here, and I know what to do. It's time to play my trump card, so enter the code.'

Though still hammering at the tower, Alter Jeremie looked up, raising his voice. _**" Aelita! I can return your father, your CREATOR to you! And here's my proof!"**_

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Inside the structure, Alter Aelita hesitated as bits of data began consoladating in front of her, a form emerging. One she had seen only in files, but recognized instantly. Despite not having parents to speak of, she couldn't help uttering one word.

_" Father..."_

1

_**" Excellent. She took the bait. And now, while's she's distracted."**_

Alter Jeremie squeezed his fist, energy collecting as he rammed it against the tower. Without Alter Aelita concentrating on the programs themselves, the actual firewall began to crack, a small fissure appearing.

1

" No! He's breaking through! Aelita, what are you waiting for?! Finish the job!" Alter Odd snapped as he watched Alter Jeremie rear back again.

1

" What are you waiting for?! Finish the job!" Alter Odd's voice crackled though Alter Aelita's ear, the connection still strong, despite the firewall.

Alter Aelita blinked, her mind still trying to comprehend the sight before her. _" I- I can't...he's here..." _She trailed off, still staring at the man, who stood silent.

" Who, who's there? XANA?"

_" No, he brought him back, my father, my creator. Jeremie returned him to me." _The commander took a faltering step toward the bespectacled gentleman. _" He's alive, he's truly alive." _

" T-That's impossible! Even _he _can't bring someone back to life! It's smoke and mirrors, he can't be real! Finish the prime objective! Remember why you're doing this!"

The commander wasn't a fool. Cold logic was a driving force in her functions, dictating everything she did. It was how she distanced herself from anything that could hurt her, that made her hesitate when it came time to act.

Normally...

But at the moment memories were seeping in, from a life not her own, of a little girl who died before her time.

" Don't listen to him Aelita, my daughter. I'm here. That's all that matters. Forget these petty war games and stay with me. Together, we can be happy." Alter Franz knelt down. " Come to me, my _dear_."

She didn't move...couldn't move, rooted to the spot by the images flooding her mind. There were people, familar yet not, ones she thought she knew, but couldn't. A woman with pink hair, similar to her own smiling at someone. A man, the same as the one in front of her, leaning over a piano, directing someone.

_**" Your efforts are futile, child. " **_Alter Jeremie leered as he turned away from the tower. _**" I opened up the "missing" files in my DEAR Aelita's core processor, and tweaked a bit of her visual data. Why spoil such a touching reunion?"**_

" Because it's not real." Yumi said, pulling her fan. " You're manipulating her so you can stop her. It won't work." She threw her fan, and watched in dismay as Alter Jeremie plucked it from the air, crushing it in his fist.

_**" Of course, you are correct. These files are merely images her creator tried to pass off as memories. Something as factitious as my DEAR Aelita, could never actually pass as a human."**_

" And her _father_? The one you said you brought back. Another illusion?" Yumi said angrily, wishing she had another fan.

_**" A polymorphic specter, courtesy of XANA. Think of it as a clone, crafted to look like her creator. Quite an involved process, but it'll serve me well enough."**_

Alter Odd frowned, his expression almost a snarl. " You sick, twisted, son of a..." Ignoring Alter Ulrich's shout, he loped off toward the imposing form.

" Hey _Einstein_!" He yelled, bringing his claws to bear as he ran. " There's something I've been meaning to tell you!"

_**" Did I not imply my hatred of that nickname?!" **_Alter Jeremie hissed as he turned to the advancing warrior.

" Oh, I know. Now, GOT TO HELL!" Alter Odd thrust his claws forward...and yowled as they shattered against Alter Jeremie's armor.

Alter Jeremie's burning orbs narrowed. _**" Was that supposed to hurt?" **_His massive fist slammed down, barely missing the lithe figure as he glowered. _**" I will not deviate from my task." **_

" Odd, move it!" Alter Ulrich yelled. " You know what the commander said!"

" But..." Alter Odd protested as he skid to a halt, glaring at the towering form.

" Do it! Or everything we did will mean nothing!"

The hybrid growled, flexing what remained of his claws in frustration as he jumped back. " Fine." He ran back to them.

_**" A SMART move, for once." **_Alter Jeremie mocked as his attention returned to the tower.

" We can't just stand here?" Yumi protested, watching Alter Jeremie raise his hand. " He'll crush Aelita's defenses."

"Unfortunately, we have to." Alter Ulrich replied. Beside him, Alter Odd bared his fangs in anger. " It was her last orders before entering the tower."

" What orders?"

" To stay alive. Most of the monsters here can't kill us, only devirtualize us. And thanks to the commander's programs, it doesn't take long to get virtualized again. But it's obvious Jeremie made some adjustments to his form's programming as well. It doesn't take a genius to figure out the end results."

" Remember what I mentioned earlier?" Alter Odd said through gritted teeth. " Everyone needs to be here, to make the code work. It _won't _work if we're dead. However..." The snarl became a smirk as he watched Alter Jeremie strike the tower, the structure rattling slightly, but holding. " Just because we can't directly interfere, doesn't mean we can't do something." His hand raised to his head.

1

The images were lessening now, their cycle nearly complete, and yet she didn't move.

" Aelita?"

Against her will, her head raised to meet his eyes. " Daddy?" Her voice was a breathy whisper, devoid of the harsh mechanical overtones that were so prevalent when she spoke.

An inner voice, not her own, channeling through the memories currently playing in her head. The voice of a child.

" Yes, Aelita. I'm here. It's all over."

" But, you died."

" The rumors of my demise were slightly exaggerated. It's quite complicated, but the important thing is I'm here."

" Is mommy coming too?" Ever so distantly, the commander wondered why she was asking these things. There was something she needed to complete, something urgent. But the constant fluxuation between her own thoughts and those of Aelita Hopper's was making thinking in general increasingly difficult.

" Your...mother is currently unavailable at the moment. But don't worry, my _dear_, we will join her soon enough."

1

" Hey tall, dark, and ugly!" Alter Odd called from a nearby boulder, then launched his last laser arrow which 'pinged' off Alter Jeremie's armor.

" What's he trying to do, provoke him?" Yumi asked Alter Ulrich, who was shaking his head.

" So long as he keeps away from Jeremie, he can do as he pleases. However..." He watched Alter Jeremie brush his shoulder, before turning to them.

_**" Your actions speak of desperation and futility." **_He snapped his fingers.

Instantly a new pair of creatures appeared, arachnid-like in appearance, and covered in a glossy black sheen that obscured even the location of their eyes.

" Great job, Odd!" Alter Ulrich snapped. " Now we have to fight!"

Alter Odd jumped farther away from Alter Jeremie, grasping another boulder. " No me, you two. Without my claws and laser arrows, I'm useless as a warrior." He clicked his ear, letting his voice filter through the communications line only. " But this is just the distraction I needed. Keep em busy."

" Odd!" The samurai sighed as he drew both katanas and pulled Yumi behind a rocky fixture . " I've got fifty life points, you've got all one hundered. Try to keep them."

" But I'm weaponless." Yumi said.

" I can rectify that. Give me your hand."

" I can't use your..." Yumi began as Alter Ulrich placed a sword in her grasp, then gasped as the weapon began glowing. Within seconds it shrank, flowing into a very familar shape.

" How did you do that?"

" A configuration program. It only works on active objects, so I sacrificed my sword. Now are you ready?"

" I haven't been much help." Yumi stated, flicking her fan open. " But I'm ready."

1

SLAM!

His blow added another crack to the already widening fissure. So long as his program kept her busy, the firewall would shatter very soon.

**" Why have you not breached the structure?" **Alter XANA's voice demanded.

Alter Jeremie grit his teeth. _**" Because I have to divert my resources between so many programs. I have to keep my monsters, the polymorph, my program inside the tower, AND this form all running. It is proving quite taxing."**_

**" A minor inconvenience."**

Alter Jeremie was silent, but furious. Alter XANA's matter-of-fact responses were becoming very annoying.

" Hey, did you forget about me?"

**" How could I not, with all your incessant interference!" **Alter Jeremie seethed, throwing a fireball behind him. At least he had something he could take his anger out on.

" I can't let you hurt Aelita!" Alter Odd snarled back, avoiding the attack while scanning the area near Alter Jeremie. If what he said earlier was true, then the program used on Aelita had to have some kind of string of commands connecting him to the tower. A strong enough program to actually penetrate her firewall.

_**" Hurt, you think like she's human?" **_Alter Jeremie smirked. _**"But her task is a pointless one. She has no connection to these humans, to any human. And yet, she seeks to sacrifce herself." **_His fist impacted again.

" And what _about_ Aelita? She's a lot more human than you are." There! Something glittered in the air.

_**" An incorrect analysis. She is digital, not carbon based. Her form cannot support biological function..."**_

" Did anyone ever tell you that you talk too much?" Alter Odd smirked as he traced the barely perceptible connection. It had to concentrate on a point somewhere on the tower, and once he found it, it was just a matter of breaking it.

1

" Whoa!" Yumi cried out as she flipped back out of the creatures line of fire, her arm flaring in pain as she landed. " They're quite persistant, aren't they?"

" Yes, they are." Alter Ulrich returned calmly as he deflected a shot, the blast ricocheting back at the monster, which ducked before shooting some more. This time a lucky shot hit his foot, knocking him offbalance.

The monsters lined up for another shot.

" Ulrich!" Her fan flew, slicing the barrel off one of its guns.

Immediately the spider-like being cried out, its odd, gutteral scream punctuated by a laser blast that skimmed inches from Yumi's face.

' Too close.' She jumped back, tossing her fan at the nearest tarantula. But the slightly disarmed creature dropped to its knees, shooting her fan back with its other functional weapon.

At the same time Alter Ulrich appeared behind its companion, his sword slicing through the creature's body, which allowed the momentum from his sprint to carry the blade through the damaged one. Both creatures gave one last screech as they blew apart.

1

_**" Must you keep pestering me?!" **_The crazed genius glowered as he clenched his fist, flames rising as he shot the fireball toward the feline, who easily evaded.

**" Jeremie, stop! Leave him."**

Alter Jeremie paused. _**" He's proving quite irksome."**_

**" He seeks to rile you, to make you lose focus." **Alter XANA's voice echoed. **" Don't occupy yourself with something so trivial, complete the objective. The child can be dealt with afterwards."**

_**" Very well, for now." **_Alter Jeremie agreed, punching the firewall. This time a large chunk of firewall code disintegrated, the wall flickering as it tried to hold together.

1

The commander shook her head. " This... doesn't feel right."

Her gaze fell on the console, the cursor of the unfinished code still flashing.

" I...I have...to finish." Yet she made no move, her eyes still fixed on the screen.

" No you don't, my _dear_. Like I said, it's all over."

" But, my friends.."

"What friends? You have no friends, only me." A few more steps and he could finish his master's orders. His hand lengthened, becoming a spike. " Father and _daughter_, together at last."

1

He'd found it, the connection concentrated on the upper portion of the tower, but to reach it he needed a projectile with enough force to saw though it.

Another shudder shook the tower, the feline looking down at the tower's base in distress. His eyes widened in alarm as he watched the protective shielding begin to give way.

It wouldn't be long before Jeremie broke through.

But not if he had anything to say about it. His gaze found Yumi's fan, it should do, hopefully.

1

" Yumi! Your fan, throw it here!"

" Odd?" Yumi questioned.

" I need you to throw it, right here!"

There was the sound of clanking feet, at which Yumi turned around, fearing an even greater threat.

Though Alter Ulrich was busy engaging a couple Kankrelets that had appeared, they looked confused as the samurai easily outpaced and outmaneuvered them.

' Jeremie said the polymorph's creation was an involved process. Maybe he can't fully control so many things at once.' There really wasn't much time to ponder as Yumi turned back to Odd.

" Where do you need it?"

" Here!"

Yumi didn't hesitate, the fan slicing through the air as it headed toward the tower, striking the target dead on.

A white flash of light arched from the point of contact as the fan's lethal edge lacerated the stream, before returning to Yumi's hand.

The line fizzled...and broke.

_**" NO!"**_

1

At once the commander's mental struggle ceased as her eyes refocused, the film of inserted code vanishing as she regained functional control.

Her eyes narrowed, flicking to the approaching figure.

_" Your statement holds no merit, and numerous flaws." _Her voice held about as much warmth as an arctic storm.

"Come now. Be a good little daughter and stop this nonsens.." The imposter stopped dead as the commander's hand whipped out, grasping his wrist.

Her expression hardened along with her grip, the polymorph's hand returning to normal. _" You're not my father."_

" Aelita?"

She released her hold on Alter XANA's creation, the being stumbling back as she turned away.

_" I HAVE no father." _

_**" You have made a serious mistake!" **_The polymorph lunged for her.

_" Computer, threat within local firewall parameters."_

_OPTION: CONTAIN OR DELETE?..._

_"Delete."_

The fake Alter Franz screamed in anger as it froze in midair, its body anchored in place by a cocoon of energy that tore at the spectre until nothing remained.

Wasting no time, the commander went back to the screen.

_" Reinforce firewall code."_

REINFORCEMENT COMPLETE.

_"Continue code instructions."_

1

Outside the tower Alter Jeremie howled angrily as he was blown back by the newly reconstructed protection.

**"You have failed, human."**

_**" N..no I have not." **_Alter Jeremie stumbled to his feet. _**" There is still time to correct this."**_

**"No. There is no more time."**

A harsh sound rent the air as the crazed virus suddenly ripped free from the embedded symbol.

The effect on Alter Jeremie was instantaneous, the boy howling in pain and fear as he toppled, the armor around him shattering. His power, gone in an instant, body weak and in shock from Alter XANA's sudden departure.

1

Alter Aelita sighed. _' I'm sorry my friends, but this is the only way.'_

12, 25, 15, 11, 15...

Code processing...

**WARNING!!!! **Imputing code will erase entire program. Do you still wish to implement?

_Yes._

Initiating Lyoko termination.

1

" Yumi?"

" Yes, Ulrich?" She was now looking at the tower, enraptured by the white wall of static emerging from within. In seconds it flowed down like a river of lava, reducing the tower to scattered pixels, the pieces flickering for a moment before vanishing. The flow continued uninterupted, slower now, but still rippling across the landscape.

' Aelita.' Yumi thought, saddened by the sprite's passing.

1

" This is odd?" Jeremie muttered, his attention focusing on the data from Alter Yumi's world.

" What is it, Jeremie?" Aelita peered over his shoulder.

" An unusual energy spike originating from the other Lyoko, a big one at that." He typed a few more lines, focusing on both Alter Yumi's cleansing and the strange fluctuation for a few moments before looking up. " Everything appears to be normal now, but I think it's best we get our friend back there quickly."

" Do you think there's something more going on?"

" Definitely. And especially since I haven't been able to contact their Aelita. If what she said is true, at least sending their Yumi back will transport her to their base. She should be safe." He sighed. " I hope I'm doing the right thing."

" I'm sure you are, Jeremie."

1

" Wait! You can't leave me!" Alter Jeremie screeched as he watched the static grow nearer.

Alter XANA paused.

" We were partners, equals!"

**"We were never partners, nor equals. Our alliance was strictly for my benefit. Your fusion with me gave me what I wanted, all your data is mine. And now that I have what I wanted, I have no need for you." **The being was taken aback as Alter Jeremie suddenly chuckled.

" So I was right." Alter Jeremie smiled ruefully, all signs of panic gone. " Betrayal, how predictable."

**" You seem remarkably calm for one whose existence is about to end."**

" Do you think me a fool? I knew from the start you would betray me...kill me." He shook his head. " It's what I would've done if given the chance."

**" Then suffer for your flaws, human. You were merely a pawn, and the game is now over."**

Alter Jeremie's expression darkened. " I will not suffer alone."

Alter XANA's form began to waver, pieces flaking away. **" Wh- what have you done to me?!" **

" Always have a contingency plan, my backstabbing friend. Like you said, you and I were linked, but in more ways than you thought. With my demise imminent, so too will you perish."

**" No! I won't be destroyed so easily!" **Alter XANA raced across Lyoko's surface, its body breaking apart even as it flew past the stunned Lyoko warriors. Within seconds its form scattered, vanishing from sight.

" Fare thee well, fool." Alter Jeremie muttered.

Then the deletion wave hit.

1

The sudden scream from Alter Jeremie drew Yumi's attention away from Alter XANA's demise.

His body, stripped of Alter XANA's presence, writhed in outraged terror as the outer edge of the barrier reached his feet. Flecks of data flew as his limbs began fragmenting, scattering as the tower had.

Now his hands were crumbling, his torso vanishing.

And through it all he kept screaming.

Yumi turned away, burying her head in Alter Ulrich's chest, not wanting to see his end. Not wanting to see what was in store for her.

For all her bravado, she admitted she was scared. Who wouldn't be? Looking death in the face, and _welcoming _it?

But that was what personal sacrifice was all about, giving one's life to save countless others. When she looked at it that way...

" I'm sorry."

Another gentle squeeze, and she was looking into his eyes again.

" For what?"

Alter Ulrich turned his head. " For everything. Not believing you, thinking you weren't real...hurting you."

1

For one of the rare times in his life, Alter Jeremie felt real fear as he lay on his back. Movement was impossible, for he was weak, too weak, his strength sapped.

It was over. As much as he hated to admit it.

Distantly he heard someone crying out, and realized dully that _he _was the one making that accursed sound. As if his mind was too far away from his body, feeling, yet not feeling his very body being torn apart.

Oh how his enemies must mock him. He, Jeremie, the once ruler, now reduced to a crying waif. If only he could move.

Too exhausted to continue pondering his fate, his eyes closed.

_'Jeremie...'_

He felt it, saw it only in the darkness of his mind. A presence, like an echo, swirling around his diminishing form. Like a soft whisper against his ear.

Her...

' Why don't you just leave me be?' he sighed. ' You've won.'

_' ... True.'_

' Then are you here to mock my failure?'

_' No. I just have to know one thing, Jeremie. Did you ever feel the same way I felt about you.'_

' A machine can't feel...'

_' Did you?' _she pressed.

' I..." Alter Jeremie hesitated, static lines edging even the closed darkeness of his vision. ' Perhaps...that's a question best left unanswered.'

_' I see...'_

And then he knew nothing.

1

" Debugging is complete." Jeremie said as he fnished the sweep of Alter Yumi's form. " I'm sending you in..."

1

Yumi gave his hand another squeeze. " Don't be, Ulrich. I've already forgiven you. I just wish I could've told my Ulrich how I really felt."

A finger pressed to the girl's lips, prompting her to look at him.

Alter Ulrich smiled as the static wall beared down on them. " I'm sure he already knows."

Yumi returned the smile, her gaze flicking back to the crackling embers as they closed in on the two. " Thank you." she whispered.

The world went dark.

1

" Now!"

1

To be continued...

1

I decided to do a condensed version of the alternate versions of Alter XANA's creatures. Just the alternate versions.

_**Final Profiles: Alter Krab, Alter Kankrelet, Alter Tarantula, Alter Block, Alter Megatank**_

_**Alter Krab, Kankrelet, and Block :**__These three monsters have only one difference from their regular counterparts. And that's the black substance that covers weakspots._

_**Alter Megatank:**__ Deadlier than its original. It too has black goo covering it, but it can manipulate the substance like tentacles. Also, if its laser hits you when you are low on lifepoints, the injuries it inflicts will kill your real body. _

_**Alter Tarantula:**__ Only appeared in this chapter, not much known other than its shrouded in black like the others and has multiple lasers. Could be as deadly as Megatank._

_...End Profile._

Hey, sorry for the long wait. This chapter was originally going to be three and half pages long. As you can see it's a bit longer than that. The next chapter will be the final one. Figure out Alter Aelita's code yet? Anyway, if you read, please review. I like people's thoughts on this story.


	11. The End

Twisted Reality

By Flying Star

Disclaimer: My code backfired, so I still don't own the rights. Antefilms and Moonscoop do.

1

This is the end, finally. I can't believe it took me this long to finish. So now, without further ado, I bring you the conclusion to Twisted Reality.

1

**Bold: ?**

_Italics : Emphasis_

" " : Talking

' ' : Thinking/thoughts

- : Section Breaks

Chapter 11: The End

' I'm sure he already knows.'

Yumi Ishiyama's eyes flew open, the sudden brightness momentarily blinding her as she sat up.

Blinking tearily to clear her vision, she tried recalling what had happened, shifting slightly. The movement brought a quick stab of pain, and with it memories of earlier events.

' The static wave, the code...I should be dead.'

" Welcome back, Yumi."

Her head tilted to the side, a couple familiar faces coming into view. Ulrich standing nearing, Odd farther back.

'_ They _should be dead.'

" Yumi?"

' Did we fail?'

" Yumi, please speak."

Yumi looked up at the screen before her, the pink-haired sprite eyeing her worriedly.

" C..commander?" Yumi stared, dazed and confused. The static wave, it erased everything. How could she be alive?

Aelita shook her head. " No, I'm not."

That voice, soft and lithe, not hard and bitter.

' Where am I?' Caution steadily gripped her. Something felt wrong, amiss. The world, their world of Lyoko, it was gone...but here she was. Her eyes caught a glimpse of someone else in the room, and she froze.

Jeremie.

Instantly her resolve crumbled, the Japanese girl sinking to her knees. ' It didn't work. I'm back in his clutches.'

" Yumi, what's wrong?"

A hand touched her shoulder, and she flinched away.

" Maybe we got the wrong one? What do the readings say, Jeremie?"

That got her attention, Yumi's head whipping up to the screen again.

" It's her. Maybe the shock of returning home has briefly confused her."

" No." Yumi shook her head, then rose slowly, catching a glimpse of Odd as she did so. For some reason her gaze was drawn to his face.

It suddenly hit her.

No eye patch, no milky, white orb. Instead, two real eyes peered back at her.

Wariness finally melted into relief. " I'm home, how?"

The young genius took a deep, shaky breath. " It was close, too close. Another second or two and I don't think we could've gotten you back. But yes, we managed to grab you, and send your counterpart home."

" My..." Yumi eyes widened.

" Jeremie?"

The sudden interjection came from the virtual girl onscreen, a worried expression on her face.

" Yes, Aelita?"

" I'm receiving a coded message from an unknown source."

" Can you decifer it?

" It's locked within a series of equations and computations, but...hmm. This is odd?"

" No, I'm Odd." Odd smirked as Ulrich shushed him.

" What's wrong?" Jeremie asked.

" There's digital marks scattered, no, placed throughout the file." She hesitated, rereading the coded arrangement before imputting a few responses. " It's opening almost of its own accord. But the algorithm, it was almost too easy to decipher, like it was meant to be opened by me." She now frowned. " The file is now open for viewing, and Jeremie, it's from my counterpart."

Jeremie nodded, seemingly unsurprised by her discovery. " Basic ET&D?"

" Message was recorded after last contact, but before the energy flux."

" What's that mean?" Yumi asked.

" It means it's not current." Jeremie frowned." Play it."

The screen flickered as the picture stabilized. Within moments the alternate world commander appeared.

_" Commander Aelita recording. I apologize in advance, but if you are watching this, then that means my functions, as well as those of your friend, have ceased."_

" What's she talking about?" Odd asked.

_" My intentions were not meant to be malicious, and I feel regret for dragging you into this situation, for you were not advised about the inevitable outcome."_

" Seriously, what is she saying? It's like..."

" Shhh." Surprisingly, it was Jeremie that shushed him this time.

_" Hear me out, and you may judge my actions if you want. I am currently dictating this message while simultaniously implementing a program that will delete XANA.."_

" How could that be a bad thing?" Odd mused quietly to himself.

_" ...plus everything and everyone here."_

" Oh."

_" It is a last resort that I wish I did not have to do, but it is our only recourse since your Yumi came here." _The virtual alter girl hesitated, pressing a few unseen commands on the screen next to her.

" Yumi, did she tell you about this?" Jeremie asked, pausing the message.

" Not her, but yes I was told. Jeremie, I think I know what happened to them..." Yumi shook her head, Alter Odd's words coming back to haunt her.

' This is a suicide mission, and what you're hearing, is the beginning of the end..'

" Yumi, what happened?" Jeremie pressed, seeing her falter.

' But if I'm here?' The certain ramification of why she was still alive took root in her mind, guilt replacing the earlier feelings of elation. " Finish the transmission. We'll talk later." Yumi hoped Jeremie didn't hear her voice waver as he unpaused the video.

_" When Jeremie first took over Lyoko's core, a realization struck me. Without Lyoko, there would be no XANA, and without XANA, Jeremie's power supply would be cut off. Digging through the programs for the better part of a year finally revealed a way to do so. However it required the sacrifice of not only myself, but that of the ones I considered my friends. It was a difficult decision that I refrained from telling them at first. I didn't want to be responsible for their deletions, but the program was exact in its description. The decision made, I opted to tell them my plan. But before I could, our Yumi supposedly perished, rendering the option unusable."_

" Until I came." Yumi said, giving Ulrich a quick glance.

_" Until your Yumi came. With her return, the ability to destroy Lyoko was reinstated. Believe me, I wish there was another way, but my travails through all the information have revealed no alternate way. My comrades know what must be done, and your Yumi shall know before I finish. I am truly sorry." _Her eyes raised, seeming to land on Jeremie._ " The time is now. Our XANA has your Yumi's code, and with it, it has revealed that your world will be next to be invaded. I cannot allow that to happen. It is my hope that you too shall be able to dispose of your XANA before what happens here, happens to you." _

Jeremie frowned.

_Know this, the way to destroy XANA, is to destroy Lyoko. It is the only definitive resolution. This is commander Aelita, farewell."_

The screen fuzzed out as the message ended.

" Aelita?"

Jeremie blinked, looking up at Yumi's question, eyes going to the screen with their Aelita.

The virtual girl, despite being onscreen, looked positively pale.

" No..." Jeremie started, knowing what she was thinking. " We won't resort to such an extreme measure unless you're safe."

" Are you sure? If it's the only way?"

" Even if it is..." Jeremie turned to Yumi, who was looking away. " Yumi, did this happen?

" Did she tell you about her virus?" Yumi turned around, her expression unreadable.

" I..no. I assume from your question that she was infected by her XANA."

" It's worse than that, Jeremie. She confided in me that this virus, regardless of the outcome, would kill her. Unlike our Aelita, she had nothing to live for."

" Was there anything else?"

Yumi looked up. "Yes, their XANA didn't infect her...your counterpart did."

" No." Jeremie sunk back, shocked. " I didn't realize."

Aelita shook her head sadly. " They're gone, aren't they Yumi?"

" Yes." The japanese girl confirmed grimly. " The program their Aelita activated wiped out the ' Whole of Lyoko', everything."

" Everything?" Jeremie pressed, hoping to salvage something positive.

" EVERYTHING. As if their Lyoko never existed. I watched the tower their Aelita was in disintegrate. Their XANA and Jeremie betrayed each other in the end. He died, Jeremie, right before my very eyes. Torn apart pixel by pixel, screaming the whole time."

Odd glanced between Yumi and Jeremie, noting the former's tone, and the latter's paling visage. " But...their Yumi. We sent her home to get you. With you here that means..."

" She died in Yumi's place." Ulrich supplied quietly.

" Yes, she did." Yumi looked down. " Aelita, do you think there was any chance my counterpart made it to another safe point?"

" Maybe."

All eyes turned to the one who had spoken, Jeremie.

The young genius didn't meet Yumi's gaze. " But unlikely." His eyes went to Aelita.

This time Aelita looked away. " Based on the programs conditions, the possiblity of her survival is... miniscule. Less than one percent."

" I see. " He still didn't look at Yumi. " Aelita, play back the message. I want to check some things."

Aelita nodded, but then frowned. " I'm sorry Jeremie, but I can't."

" Why?"

" It's gone. The entire message is unretrievable now. I believe it was a failsafe from my counterpart."

Jeremie nodded. " That confirms some things."

" So that's it then? " Yumi asked softly. " We can't retrieve them?"

" I'm sorry, but even if I _could_ locate their world again, there would be nothing to retrieve. Once dead..."

" I know...they stay dead." Yumi replied, then stood suddenly. Without another word, she walked briskly to the door, opening it before Ulrich can call for her.

Ulrich moved forward, taking a few steps before someone grabbed his arm. He looked back into Jeremie's eyes.

" Let her go. She needs some time to herself, as I expect we all do." The young genius said quietly, then turned, heading out the door as well.

" I will see to him." Aelita said to no one in particular as she vanished from the screen.

Ulrich turned to Odd. " So, are you going to leave too?"

" Not much else to do, is there?" Odd exited the room.

Ulrich sighed, eyeing the way Yumi went, and followed.

-

" I figured I'd find you here."

Jeremie looked up, acknowledging Aelita's physical presence with a small nod.

She settled down onto his bed, observing Jeremie as he sat at his computer desk. The system wasn't on, but his gaze was riveted to the screen.

" Even knowing I wasn't him, that Jeremie. She still couldn't trust me."

Aelita blinked. " There's no reason to believe that, Jeremie."

Jeremie steepled his hands, staring hard at the blank screen. " I find that hard to believe." He continued glaring, as if willing answers to appear before him. " Something was wrong, I knew it from the moment the power fluxes occured, but still I continued. I should've been more careful. If I had just waited, their Yumi would be alive here."

" And our Yumi would be dead, Jeremie."

" I know, but it still feels like I didn't do enough. Her life was in my hands, and I extinguished it. I'm no better than him."

His statement surprised the pink-haired girl. His alter's actions had obviously been weighing on his mind more than she'd thought.

" Attainable power is a tempting vice to many beings, Jeremie. But...I know you. You're not like that."

" But I could be. Look what happened to him."

" No, you're a different person. He was too. Whatever haunted him took away his trust, changed him. But you, you have friends, a family, you have...me."

The chair swiveled around. " You heard what she said." He wasn't looking at her.

" What in particular?"

This time he did look up. " Well not said, but implied. She didn't want what happened there to happen here, and I believe she wasn't just talking about their XANA."

Aelita shook her head sadly. " Jeremie, their world was a different place, with varying extraordinary circumstances unique to their world. You won't become _him_."

" I..." Jeremie sighed, hands resting on his knees as he gave her a small half smile. " You're right, Aelita. It's just a lot to take in, to realize that I..I mean he could fall so far." He stood up, walking over before taking a seat next to her. " It scares me, I guess."

Aelita gave him a sympathetic look. " It's natural to fear the unknown. Look at me for example, every time I set foot on Lyoko, my mortality is exposed. A few laser shots, a fall into the digital sea, and I'm gone." Her expression turned downcast. " Worse, only a small handful of people will ever lament my passing."

" I didn't realize you felt that way, Aelita." Jeremie was looking at her.

The girl shrugged. " I accept it. The important thing is we can keep going forward. We got Yumi back safe and sound, and now we can focus on keeping our world safe."

Jeremie smiled. " That's true. Thanks Aelita, I guess I just needed to talk."

" You can always talk to me, Jeremie." Aelita smiled back.

-

On the factory bridge, a similar meeting was taking place.

" I figured I'd find you here."

The girl leaning against the rail gave him a look akin to her counterpart. " Hey Ulrich."

Ulrich took a place next to her." Are you okay, Yumi?" He asked, pretty sure of her answer.

" Yes, no, I don't know." The japanese girl sighed, now slumping against the supports.

Ulrich grasped the rail, feeling a strong sense of deja vu. Yumi looked almost as dejected as well, the other Yumi had. " It's not your fault, you know."

Yumi looked down.

" I'm sure you tried your best. We didn't know this would happen, their Aelita didn't tell us."

Yumi closed her eyes. " That's just the thing, I knew. Their Odd told me we weren't going to survive. I made my peace, and resigned myself to my fate. To know that she took my place instead just troubles me. She would've had a chance here..."

" Yeah...but you wouldn't be." The boy coughed lightly as Yumi opened wide eyes to look at him. " I...I mean it was strange without you here."

"But she looked like me, Ulrich." She said so softly that he almost didn't hear.

" Looked, yes, but she wasn't you." His gaze focused on the factory. " I found her, up here." He turned back to the quiet girl. " She was afraid to go home."

Yumi nodded. " From what her friends said, it's understandable. She broke down after the loss of her parents."

" Yeah. Without them, and with people here who were essentially them, she felt she could have a better life here."

A look of curiousity crossed Yumi's face. " What changed her mind?"

" Truthfully, even though she didn't say his name." He hesitated, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. " I believe her Ulrich was the reason."

" Really?"

Ulrich smiled lightly. " She said she had someone she missed, it's reasonable to assume it's him." The smile faded. " At least she's with him now, and her parents."

The japanese girl's eyes raised to the sky, grateful to see the blue hues instead of the sickly colors of the other world. " I know they're gone, but I wonder what happened to their Aelita? She pretty much said she wasn't human, and I hate to admit it, but I agree." Her tone softened. " Despite our first impressions, I miss her."

" She saved a lot of people though."

" Betrayed by one of their own, by one she trusted. I still can't believe their Jeremie switched sides." Yumi kicked a loose stone, watching it skid away. " He made a deal with the digital devil."

" I...I hope I'm not interupting anything?"

The two jumped as Odd crossed the bridge, the youth looking quite subdued as he took a spot near them.

" Yumi?" Ulrich nodded, giving her a subtle look.

She got the hint. Something was bothering Odd, too." You've got our attention. What's on your mind?"

Odd nudged a twig. " It's nothing really, but the other Odd." His eyes went to Yumi. " We didn't part on good terms."

" He asked me to apologize for him, Odd. If that's what you're asking."

Relief settled on his features, the boy nodding. " He really was different from me."

" They all were." Yumi mused, glancing at the factory again.

" What matters is you're back and alive." Ulrich said.

" Yeah." She was silent for a moment. " And we can defeat our XANA without sacrifices."

" And I can kick Megatank butt again. What?" Odd asked innocently as the two looked at him, then began laughing.

" Hey, what's so funny?" Odd now looked slightly miffed.

Yumi's laughter became giggles. " It's just good to have things back to normal."

-

Epilogue

The core stood silent, along with computer monitors and other equipment. The factory as dead as its occupants, it sat like a grim testament to their victory.

But not for long.

A sudden spark, and the previously deactivated scanner hummed to life, its doors opening slowly.

Harsh laughter resonated throughout the room as swirling darkness filtered in.

Step by step, the darkness began to shift, transform into something else.

One step, a leg forming, another step bringing solidity to both. A few more strides and arms began to form, then a torso. A head of blond hair, glasses perched lightly on the nose, raised from the chest.

Eyes of an unnatural nature open, glowing red as the being regards the room. It stretches, raising its newly formed hands as it smirks, then lowers them.

Its body now complete, Alter XANA examines its 'borrowed' template form. The humans' body would still invoke fear in what remained of the human race.

**" My dear sibling AI. Though you were able to extirpate our home. I still..." **The grin stretched, becoming something never meant for a human face. **" Live."**

The End?

-

Yep, it's done, finally. Sets it up for a sequel, doesn't it? I don't know if I will, since this last chapter took me well over a year, and I've got a lot of stories lined up. I do have a basic outline for some of it, so maybe in the future. I'm so sorry it took me so long. I really didn't think it would.

Oh yeah, don't think I didn't remember earlier in the story about what Alter Jeremie said to Alter Aelita saying she was never meant to exist outside Alter Lyoko's borders. Remember, Yumi was unconscious at the time, so she didn't hear. Which means she could say what Alter Aelita told her about the virus. And who's to say Alter Jeremie was really telling the truth anyway?

No need for an Alter XANA/XANA profile, since both are equally evil.

Please, if you read, review, I like people's thoughts on this story.


End file.
